There are 2 main types of sakuramochi: Kansai-style and Kantō-style.

🌸Kansai sakuramochi, known also as 'Dōmyōji-mochi' (道明寺餅), is made with dōmyōji-ko rice flour (道明寺粉).
🌸Kantō sakuramochi uses shiratama-ko flour (白玉粉) and is also known as 'Chōmeiji-mochi' (長命寺餅).

Both versions of sakuramochi (桜餅) are also named after temples.

The Kantō-style 'Chōmeiji-mochi' (長命寺餅) is named after Chōmei-ji, a temple in Tōkyō close to the shop that first starting selling the sweets.
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Kansai-style 'Dōmyōji-mochi' is named after 'dōmyōjiko' rice flour (道明寺粉). But why is the flour named after a temple?

The legend goes that the aunt of Sugawara-no-Michizane (菅原道真 845-903), a nun at Dōmyō-ji (道明寺) in Ōsaka, made offerings of rice cakes at the temple.

Many sakuramochi are coloured pink to evoke cherry blossoms, but in their natural state they are white (we serve these in the teahouse).

Sakura leaves, first pickled in salt, are wrapped around the rice cakes. The leaves can be eaten, and give the wagashi their salty-sweet taste.

In 1717 the founder of Chōmeiji Sakuramochi (長命寺桜もち) began pickling the sakura leaves he gathered from the banks of the Sumida River to preserve them.

He soon realised the leaves were perfect as 'wrapping' for his crepe-like cakes...sakuramochi was born.

Kotokiki-chaya (琴きき茶屋) in Arashiyama is famous for its 2 types of sakura-mochi.

The 1st is unusual because there is no bean filling, taking its flavour from the 2 sakura leaves.
The 2nd, wrapped in red bean paste, is shaped like Mt.Arashi. It has been served for 110 years.