THE SYMBOL TREES OF JAPANESE PREFECTURES

Perhaps not everyone knows that in Japan there are trees designated as a symbol of each of the country's 47 prefectures . Well yes, each of them is characterized by a type of shrub, an element that distinguishes it together with five other local symbols: the flower, the bird, the fish, the animal and the coat of arms.

Bonsai trees in the garden of the Tokyo Imperial Palace © @sirej.139

Through these icons it is possible to have a deeper knowledge to understand the history linked to each territory . Their establishment was initiated in 1970 when prefectural trees were created as part of the Green Japan National Movement to celebrate the World's Fair held for the first time in Asia, specifically in Osaka Prefecture, in the same year.
The objectives were to encourage people to participate in Expo'70 through the selection and planting of local trees and consequently encourage a greener Japan; this initiative is supported by many public bodies and activities, among the best known is the famous Japanese newspaper "Mainichi Shinbun".

The Arashiyama bamboo forest © @jeremy

Among all the tree species, sugi is the one widespread in all prefectures and has been selected as a local symbol in six of them. The second most common is the camphor tree, chosen in four prefectures: Hyogo, Saga, Kumamoto and Kagoshima. It is an evergreen that grows luxuriant in warm regions, especially on the island of Kyushu, where the production of camphor used as an insect repellent is historic.
The next most common are akamatsu, ginkgo, palmate maple, and zelkova, each of which has been selected in three prefectures. Ginkgo is a very common tree in the metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Kanagawa and Osaka, where it can easily be found along the main streets of the city. The palmate maple, known in Japanese by the name of momiji , is the symbolic shrub of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Yamanashi and Shiga, a plant whose cultivation dates back to ancient times and famous for the vivid red color of its foliage in the autumn period .

The famous Japanese Maple, a palmate maple, blooms every year in March © @aprilfool

The trees in the prefectures are counted by conifers and broad-leaved trees: 21 prefectures have chosen conifers, the remaining 26 have chosen broad-leaved trees .
There are only 10 types of conifers , including sugi, hiba, hinoki trees and several types of pine. It is interesting to note that many of these conifers, although of the same species, take on different names : in Iwate Prefecture the akamatsu is known as Nanbu Akamatsu, the hiba tree of Aomori Prefecture is called ate in Ishikawa Prefecture.
However, there are 17 types of deciduous trees in total and there is a wide variety of trees, including the ubamekashi, a type of evergreen oak symbol of Wakayama prefecture, the olive tree, symbol of Kagawa prefecture, and the azalea, an evergreen shrub with pink and purple flowers, symbol of Fukuoka prefecture.

Hachioji, Japan @ Markus Winkler

Some prefectures choose one-of-a-kind trees that do not belong to any other territorial area. Among the most characteristic ones are the ichii in Gifu Prefecture, a conifer whose wood is famous for being used for sculpture, and the ubamekashi in Wakayama Prefecture, a species of oak that serves as material for Binchotan charcoal which is a very renowned local product.
Phoenix is ​​also a unique tree: it is found in Miyazaki prefecture and is a palm popularly known as the phoenix, originally from the Canary Islands and planted in this southern area since the Taisho era.

Wooden bridge in the heart of one of the many Japanese forests © @amosg

Here you can find the complete list of Japanese prefectures and the list of trees associated with each of them:

Hokkaido = Ezomatsu

Aomori Prefecture = Hiba

Iwate Prefecture = Nambu Red Pine

Miyagi Prefecture = Keyaki

Akita Prefecture = Akita Sugi

Yamagata Prefecture = Sakuranbo

Fukui Prefecture = Keyaki

Ibaraki Prefecture = Ume

Gunma Prefecture = Black Pine

Tochinoki Prefecture = Black Pine

Saitama Prefecture = Keyaki

Chiba Prefecture = Maki

Tokyo metropolitan area = Ginkgo

Kanagawa Prefecture = Ginkgo

Niigata Prefecture = Yukitsubaki

Toyama Prefecture = Tateyama Cedar

Ishikawa Prefecture = Hiba of Japan

Fukui Prefecture = Pine

Yamanashi Prefecture = Palmate maple

Nagano Prefecture = Shirakaba

Gifu Prefecture = Ichii

Shizuoka Prefecture = Mokusei

Aichi Prefecture = Hananoki

Mie Prefecture = Jingu Sugi

Shiga Prefecture = Maple

Kyoto Prefecture = Cedar Kitayama

Osaka Prefecture = Icho

Hyogo Prefecture = Kusunoki

Nara Prefecture = Sugi

Wakayama Prefecture = Ubamegashi

Tottori Prefecture = Daisen Carabok

Shimane Prefecture = Kuromatsu

Okayama Prefecture = Akamatsu

Hiroshima Prefecture = Momiji

Yamaguchi Prefecture = Akamatsu

Tokushima Prefecture = Myrica rubra

Yagawamomo Prefecture = Olive tree

Ehime Prefecture = Matsu

Kochi Prefecture = Yanasesugi

Fukuoka Prefecture = Azalea

Saga Prefecture = Kusu

Nagasaki Prefecture = Camphor tree

Kumamoto Prefecture = Kusunoki

Oita Prefecture = Bungo plumuno

Miyazaki Prefecture = Phoenix

Kagoshima Prefecture = Kaikouzu

Okinawa Prefecture = Ryukyu pine

The National Diet Building in Tokyo hides a special courtyard © Takashi Suzuki

A curiosity? In the front courtyard of the National Diet Building in Tokyo you can see a long row of 47 trees: they are the trees of the prefectures, gathered together in one place. They were placed here on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Japanese Parliament and each of them is cultivated with care and attention by some specialized gardeners in the city.

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