Masatoshi Asari
Chris Sanders
Our summer 2026 Honorary Graduates | 13
Masatoshi Asari
Master of Science
Mr Masatoshi Asari is a flowering cherry specialist and breeder in the Matsumae region of Hokkaido. He was born in 1931 in the town of Nanae, in the southwest corner of Hokkaido.
He was a teacher in an elementary school in Hakodate, Hokkaido, where he taught the children how to grow cherry trees on the island. His hybridisation work has resulted in the raising of more than 100 new cultivars, most of which are still not readily available in the west. These cultivars are all denoted by the prefix Matsumae-.
Currently at Keele there are a range of different Matsumae cultivars which feature as part of the university’ s internationally renowned flowering cherry collection.
The importance of these new cultivars is that they been made in the north of Japan where the climate range is more akin to Western Europe.
He has now retired but is still living as a specialist on flowering cherry trees. He has been given the title“ Sakura Mori”; or“ protector of the cherry trees”.
Chris Sanders
Master of Science
Chris Sanders was born in Worcester and educated at Queen Elizabeth’ s Grammar School in Hartlebury, Worcestershire. After leaving school in 1960, he spent four years working in the horticultural industry and two years in full-time training at Pershore College of Horticulture, Worcs. before gaining a Masters degree in Horticulture from the Royal Horticultural Society( RHS) in 1969.
He spent 16 years as General Manager of John Hill & Sons, Spot Acre Nurseries near Stone, Staffordshire, where his interest in Flowering Cherries first began. In 1982 he joined John Ravenscroft at Bridgemere Nurseries, first as Production Manager, later becoming Production Director.
In 1993 he was instrumental in organizing the importation from Japan of the scions of 58 new cultivars of Flowering Cherry, all bred by Mr Masatoshi Asari in Matsumae, Hokkaido. These were successfully grafted at Bridgemere and nearly all are represented in the National Collection at Keele. Some are now widely grown throughout the UK and Europe. Chris made five visits to Japan to study Flowering Cherries and first met Mr Asari in May 2016.
In 1999, he was made an Associate of Honour by the RHS for services to horticulture and retired in 2002. He is still actively involved in writing, teaching, show-judging and serving on various RHS committees.
In 2014 the RHS bestowed on him their highest award, the Victoria Medal of Honour, which can only be held by a maximum of 63 people at any one time.