The 10th February issue of Jinja Shinpō had a couple of articles about sacred trees in it. The one I want to write about today was concerned with the practical problems that arise, an issue I have mentioned before. The article was by the chief priest of the jinja concerned, Wakamiya Hachimangū in Yamanashi Prefecture (to the west of Tokyo, up in the mountains).
This jinja is some distance from the local village, up a flight of 70 stone steps, with a flat area of about 350 square metres where the sanctuaries stand. The rest of the precincts are slopes, forested with sugi (Japanese cedar), hinoki (Japanese cypress), and keyaki (Zelkova serrata). Sugi and hinoki are well-behaved trees, growing straight up and keeping their branches close in. Keyaki, however, spreads out as it grows. Since the area over the sanctuary building is clear, keyaki branches spread into that space if they are not kept under control. That is dangerous, because the branches could then fall on the sanctuary, or on someone paying their respects.
So, in addition to making sure that none of the trees pose a danger to visitors or the sanctuaries, the jinja also has to control the branches of the huge keyaki near the sanctuary. There is no way to get heavy machinery to the area, and the pruning has to be done in mid-air, without simply dropping the branch when it has been cut — because it would probably land on the sanctuary. This sort of work is done by specialists known as “sorashi”, written with the characters for “sky teacher” or “sky sage”. The problems with forestry in Japan (fundamentally, there is no money in it) mean that such people are rare, and expensive.
Wakamiya Hachimangū has 240 ujiko households, so it was able to raise enough money to prune the trees. However, the author, Revd Yamamoto, points out that not all jinja will be able to do so. This means that the precincts are likely to become hazardous, and increases the risk that branches, or whole trees, will fall on the sanctuaries. Not only is allowing that disrespectful to the kami, but a jinja that cannot afford to manage the trees is almost certainly unable to afford to remove the fallen branch or tree and rebuild the sanctuaries. Thus, this is a problem that may push jinja to become legally inactive, without facilities for religious services.
However, the trees can’t simply be removed. The forest is an essential part of a jinja, to the point that, 1300 years ago, the words for “jinja” and “forest” were the same (“mori”). Revd Yamamoto does not have a solution to the problem, but it is one that more and more priests are facing as rural Japan depopulates.
For those interested and trees and woodwork, might I add that Keyaki is Japanese Elm, I read that this particular variety is Water Elm. A graceful, elegant tree introduced into the UK in 1861, Zelkova serrata has dark green, narrow leaves with a serrated edge and attractive autumn colour. A graceful, elegant tree introduced into the UK in 1861, Zelkova serrata has dark green, narrow leaves with a serrated edge and attractive autumn colour.
As a Joiner, I have had the privilege of working in Japanese Elm, it is beautiful timber of a fine colour and grain, with excellent working properties. Some years ago I installed a piece of joinery in Keyaki made by Kohseki of Kyoto, here in London. I still have few offcuts in my work shop, which I am loath to discard.