I made some salted sakura blossoms, so I made some sakura mochi. They came out beautifully and were delicious, and I was completely satisfied with how they turned out. Right after making these, I made 2 more batches to give as gifts. My friends were so happy.
If serving the next day, place the somewhat hardened mochi into the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

If there is too much excess moisture from the store bought koshi-an, cook it in a frying pan to evaporate the moisture. Then cover with a little bit of katakuriko. Or you can wait until it hardens a little, which will make it easier to form the shapes.
If you want to be able to see the sakura blossoms even more, fold the sakura into the mochi first, and then spread out the mochi one more time. Recipe by Masako Bishoku