神田の大糸桜にも春

いつも長坂に買い物に出かける際に見かける神田(しんでん)の大糸桜が七分咲きと聞いて立ち寄りました。昨年、同じ時期に通りかかったのですが今日のように咲き誇ってはいませんでした。田園の中に立ち誇る一本の桜、根廻8m ,枝張り20m余り、樹齢400年、種類は神代桜、淡墨桜など長寿桜の代名詞でもあるのエドヒガンザクラだそうです。県内でもまれに見る巨木で樹形も良く県の天然記念物に指定されています。八ヶ岳の山々を背景に見える姿は優々しいです。標高830mと小淵沢では標高の低い位置にあるので地元では「春を告げる桜」と呼ばれています。広野神社（祭神：猿田彦命）を創建した土地の豪族・小松氏の祖先が、広野神社に供える米を産する神田に植えた神木の桜が生長したものと伝えられており、地元の農家はこの桜を見て農業の時期を見計らっていました。昭和34年山梨県の天然記念物に指定されています。

「花がいっせいに開くときは決まって豊年」という言い伝えもある「神田の大イトザクラ」。農業の指針となった一本桜。訪れる人もさほどおおくなく、桜と語り合う時間をゆったりと取れるのが嬉しいです。

Shinden Oito Cherry Tree

I heard that the Oito cherry tree in Shinden, which I usually see when I go shopping in Nagasaka, was still one-seven in bloom. Last year, when I passed by at the same time, it was not in full bloom as it is today. The cherry tree standing proudly in the middle of the rice field is said to be a 400-year-old Edohigan-zakura (Edahigan cherry) with a root circumference of 8 meters and branches overhanging 20 meters, which is synonymous with long-lived cherry trees such as Jindai-zakura and Awaboku-zakura. The tree is a rare giant tree in the prefecture, and is designated as a natural monument of the prefecture for its good shape. The sight of the Yatsugatake Mountains in the background is graceful. The local people call it "the cherry tree that tells of spring" because it is located at an altitude of 830 meters, which is low in Kobuchisawa. It is said that the ancestors of the Komatsu clan, a powerful local family that founded the Hirono Shrine (the deity: Sarutahiko-no-mikoto), planted a sacred cherry tree in the Shinden (a rice field) to produce rice to be offered to the shrine, and that the tree grew. In 1959, it was designated as a natural monument of Yamanashi Prefecture.

There is a legend that says, "When all the flowers bloom at once, it is always a good harvest year" This single cherry tree has served as a guideline for agriculture. Not many people visit the cherry blossom viewing spot, so I can enjoy a relaxing time talking with the cherry blossoms.