As always, I thoroughly enjoy your posts.

I agree with Fumie, that kanji for “cherry tree” is probably just a charming calligraphic corruption by someone having fun.

The entire kanji compound on that wooden post is rather interesting.

黒田十景　百年櫻　（くろだじゅうけい　ひゃくねんさくら）

It looks like the first two kanji indicate a place name: 京都府北桑田郡京北町黒田 （きょうとふきたくわたぐんけいほくちょうくろだ） or Kuroda Area of Keihoku Town, Kita-Kuwata District, Kyoto Prefecture

If so, the first four kanji 黒田十景（くろだじゅうけい） or “Kuroda Jukei” might mean something like the “Ten Beautiful Sights of Kuroda.”

The three-character compound at the end, 百年櫻（ひゃくねんさくら）, looks like one of the ten scenic spots.

Here is a Japanese link: http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/people/kuroda-v/

Next, there is something weird about the unaging cherry tree: 百年櫻（ひゃくねんさくら)

Apparently, this tree was planted in Meiji 6 (1873) after a typhoon had uprooted a venerable old giant of a cherry tree at the same spot.

Initially, local folk thought they had planted a double-blossomed cherry tree (八重桜->やえざくら). After a few years, though, everyone was amazed to see the tree budding both single and double blossoms.

In 1967 this rare tree was named “Kuroda Centennial Cherry Tree” (黒田百年櫻) in celebration of the hundredth anniversary since the founding of the Meiji Era.

You can read a brief description in Japanese at the following link: http://www.city.kyoto.jp/ukyo/keihoku/chiiki/kanko_07.html

Here’s a related English link: http://www.mint.go.jp/eng/sakura/chart02b.html

Back to the corrupted kanji for cherry tree. I looked, without success, for this character in Daijigen (大字源) by Kadokawa, which has 12,300 characters, and Konjaku Mojikyo (今昔文字鏡) by Mojikyo Institute, which has over 100,000 characters.

The “あ” on the bottom right of the corrupted kanji is, of course, the first character in the hiragana syllabary. It is derived from the character 安（あん), composed of an upper part that means roof and a bottom part that means woman: A woman relaxes at home.

The “嬰” that forms the right side of the classic kanji for cherry tree (櫻) means “baby girl.” It is composed of two shells (貝) on top and and woman (女) below: A young girl wears a necklace.

The writing looks too beautiful to be a mistake. There must be some method to this merriment.