The enormous tree reaches a height of 27 meters and boasts a root circumference of 26 meters. At the base of the tree, there is a hollow area measuring approximately 18.6 square meters, or 12 tatami mats, which houses a stone shrine deep within.

These remarkable features earn the tree’s position as the seventh largest in Japan, as determined by a survey conducted by the Ministry of the Environment in August 2016. The surroundings of the camphor tree exude a mystical ambiance, and merely standing beside it can instill a sense of spiritual purification.

Towards the end of the Edo period in 1845 CE, during the construction of the garden, efforts were made to discover a pathway that connects it to the revered sacred tree within the Mifuneyama Rakuen forest. After extensive exploration, a stone footpath was eventually uncovered and a part of it can be seen near the shrine’s entrance.

The entrance to Takeo Shrine, a Shinto place of worship. Image credit: HeartoftheworldThe path to the tree leads through a mystical bamboo forest. Image credit: そらみみArriving at the sacred tree. Image credit: Naokijp

The tree has a mystical ambiance. Image credit: kansokusha92