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following winter. Ingram only saw the cherry one more time in a Shinto shrine in
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Ingram described this cherry as Prunus serrulata 'Geraldinae' in 1929 and named it 'Asano' to commemorate a hero, the warrior Naganori Asano (16651701). This Asano was the lord of the domain and will always be remembered because of his remarkable suicide. When visiting the shogun's castle in Edo, he happened to meet his eternal rival Kira Yoshinaka. Yoshinaka began insulting Asano in such a way that the latter could no longer contain himself and drew his sword. Immediately he was arrested by the shogun's police officers, because drawing swords within the castle compound was a capital offense. In spite of extensive pleading, Asano was without any mercy ordered to obey the rules and to commit seppuku, that is, to kill himself by ripping up his abdomen. He did as he was ordered since this was an honorable way of death for a warrior in feudal times. Not long after the funeral, forty-seven men, Asano's retainers, murdered Yoshinaka in revenge. The forty-seven were also punished and commanded to kill themselves by seppuku. They obeyed, as loyal followers, and were buried with their master. Any Japanese of the Edo period knew the history of Asano's retainers and profoundly felt that Asano and his men stood rightfully in defense of the humane, in contrast to the formalities of justice associated with the central government in Edo. Despite the heroism attached to it, 'Asano' is felt by Japanese cherry specialists to be a weird name for a cherry. Ingram's sympathy for the one-legged veteran in Kami-Yoshida perhaps inspired this martial name. Ingram was, after all, a retired navy captain. 'Asano' has small flowers with up to a hundred narrow petals. The flowers resemble the little powder puffs of the chrysanthemum-flowered 'Kikushidare-zakura', and the leaves of the two are also similar. 'Kiku-shidare-zakura', however, is a weeping tree, and 'Asano' has a rather narrow and erect shape. Moreover 'Asano' flowers one or two weeks earlier. This cultivar's erect shape, abundant blossoms, and deep pink persistent flowers make it worthy of a place in the small garden. In spite of these qualities and Ingram's appraisal of it as being one of his best introductions, 'Asano' is rarely grown. A disadvantage might be that its growth is not very vigorous, and Ingram reported some problems with witches'broom. It is not known to be in cultivation in Japan, but if it stood in a Shinto shrine in , as Ingram reported, it cannot have escaped the attention of that city's cherry lovers. 'Asano' must be related to 'Taizan-fukun'.