Chichibu Cedar Tree

This massive tree stands at 55 meters tall with a 9-meter circumference and is well over eight hundred years old. It is said that the Chichibu Cedar was planted by the famous warrior Hatakeyama Shigetada (1164-1205) when he was sent by the first shogun of Japan, Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199), to pray for nationwide peace and tranquility at Takachiho Shrine. At the time, Shigetada planted two trees, but only this one remains. The second tree was felled by a typhoon in 1992, and the funds from selling it as raw material were used to build the new Kagura Hall. The name of the remaining tree, “Chichibu Cedar,” is believed to derive from the name of Shigetada’s hometown, Chichibu.

Kagura Hall

The newly restored Kagura Hall was opened in 1996. It now hosts kagura performances nightly at 8 pm year-round.