Here is a certain story that shared to me by a friend way back when I was in my young age.
It’s about how Sakura (“Cherry blossom”) Tree gets its pinkish colour.

Way back in the past, the cherry blossom was believed to be pure white like a snow.

In a certain palace of honourable emperor, there were a bunch of cherry blossom trees were grown to it’s beauty.

At first the emperor was magnified by the cherry blossom’s beauty, but days go by, that he felt bored seeing the white cherry blossoms.

Just one day an idea had gone to the emperor’s mind. So he called his guards and give instructions to them which the guards shown disbelief in their faces.

The said guards went out to do the task and return bringing back something. It was a fresh corpse of soldiers who had recently fight in defending his country from the enemies. The guards dig up a hole under the cherry blossom trees and buried those corpses.

After the next day, the emperor noticed that the cherry blossoms have a pinkish flower blossoming.

Then there he announced to his people what he had found out. And also he added that the cherry blossom tree would be the sign of honour for the brave warriors who defend their homes.