Hatsuzakura (初櫻, "Early-blooming Cherry") was one of 23 escort destroyers of the Tachibana sub-class of the Matsu class built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during the final stages of World War II.

The Tachibana sub-class was a simplified version of the preceding Matsu class to make them even more suited for mass production.

The accuracy of the Type 89 guns was severely reduced against aircraft because no high-angle gunnery director was fitted.

[1][4] Hatsuzakura (Early-blooming Cherry)[5] was ordered in Fiscal Year 1943 under the Modified 5th Naval Armaments Supplement Program as part of the Matsu class, but the design was simplified to facilitate production and the ship was one of those built to the modified design.

[6] Hatsuzakura was assigned that day to Destroyer Squadron 11 under the Combined Fleet for working up; on 15 July she was transferred to the Yokosuka Naval District.

On 27 August the ship ferried Japanese emissaries and local pilots to the entrance to Tokyo Bay to meet the American battleship Missouri.