Shinboku

Shimenawa wrapped around the sacred tree: Yuki Shrine
The sacred tree of Sugiwabemikoto Shrine, Natural monument.
Ohtamiya Gora Prince Katsura's Ruins (Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi)

A shinboku (神木) is a tree or forest worshipped as a shintai – a physical object of worship at or near a Shinto shrine, worshipped as a repository in which spirits or kami reside.[1][2] They are often distinctly visible due to the shimenawa wrapped around them.[3]

The related term goshingi refers to trees that are considered sacred or divine in the precincts of Shinto shrines and jingū of Shinto, as well as the forests that surround them and trees that are not grown for logging.[4] It also refers to trees that are owned by shrines or by private individuals and have a special origin in folklore. It may also refer to trees that have been specially cut down for planting or growing wild to be used as timber for the construction of shrines.

  1. ^ ""Shintai, Shinboku": The Divine Object or Tree". nippon.com. 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  2. ^ "Encyclopedia of Shinto詳細". 國學院大學デジタルミュージアム (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  3. ^ "Muza-chan's Gate to Japan". muza-chan.net. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  4. ^ Mertz, Mechtild (2016). Wood and Traditional Woodworking in Japan. Kaiseisha Press. pp. 85, 120. ISBN 9784860993238.