Vandals decimate historic cherry blossom trees at Japanese center, California group says

Vandals destroyed historic cherry blossom trees in front of a Japanese community center, the group said Wednesday.

Every branch was vandalized and broken off the trees until only the trunks remained, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California said.

“This was not simply a passerby trying to break a branch off for fun,” Executive Director Paul Osaki said in the post. “Someone took their time breaking off every branch.”

The branches were more than 3 feet thick and the trees were up to 15 feet high, Osaki said. No branches were left on any trees.

“This was no easy task,” Osaki said.

A similar incident happened two years ago when a third tree was vandalized, the group said. The tree was nearly destroyed then, too.

The cherry blossom trees were planted in San Francisco’s Japantown in 1994 when the emperor and empress of Japan visited, according to the community center. Fifty years prior, the Redevelopment Agency in the city had uprooted every tree in Japantown, the group said.

“This is very tragic news,” the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival commented. “We are so sorry for your loss. We look forward to cherry blossoms every year, and to see this vandalism is heartbreaking.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Vandals decimate historic cherry blossom trees at Japanese center, California group says."