National Cultural Property – Shibushi’s Giant Camphor & Kagoshima’s Intangible Folk and Cultural Heritage – Yamamiya Shrine Spring Festival

National Cultural Property, Shibushi’s Giant Camphor

The tree stands next to the gate of the Anraku Yamamiya Shrine.

One of the largest of its kind with a height of 22 meters, a trunk circumference of 18.6 meters, and a root spread of 24.3 meters, the tree is estimated to be 800 to 1,200 years old.

Legend has it that Emperor Tenji planted it.

Kagoshima Prefecture’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, Anraku Yamamiya Shrine Spring Festival

The annual event is held over two days on the second Saturday and Sunday of February. It involves a ritual called Otaue, of planting bamboo sticks modeled after ears of rice, and the procession of the portable shrine to pray for the year’s bumper harvest.

Take this opportunity to see the Spring Festival of Anraku Yamamiya Shrine.