| Cedar Avenue of Nikkō | |
|---|---|
 A portion of the cedar avenue | |
  Cedar Avenue of Nikkō Show map of Tochigi Prefecture Cedar Avenue of Nikkō (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Location | Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan |
| Coordinates | 36°43′22″N139°41′27″E / 36.722913°N 139.69081735°E /36.722913; 139.69081735 |
| Length | 35.41 km (22.00 mi) |
| Established | 1922 |
TheCedar Avenue of Nikkō (日光杉並木,Nikkō suginami-ki) is the popular name for three separate tree-lined sections of roads in the city ofNikkō, Tochigi in the northernKantō region ofJapan. These roads are theNikkō Kaidō,Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō andAizu Nishi Kaidō and the 13,000cryptomeria trees lining a total of 35.41 kilometers (22.00 mi) of these roads form a monumental approach to theShrines and Temples of Nikkō. Although it is not a single continuous road, the "Cedar Avenue of Nikkō" was listed in the 1996Guinness Book of World Records as the longest tree-lined avenue in the world.[1] It is the only cultural property designated by the Japanese Government as both aSpecial Historic Site and aSpecial Natural Monument.[2]
During theEdo period, theTokugawa shogunate maintained a system of highways across Japan, including theEdo Five Routes, which connected the Shōgun's capital ofEdo with the provinces. These routes were marked withichirizuka to indicate distance, and were planted with trees on either side (typicallyJapanese red pine orcryptomeria) to provide shade for travelers. The routes to Nikkō were of especial importance to the Shogunate, as it held the mausoleum and memorial shrines and temples to its founder,Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his grandsonTokugawa Iemitsu, and was thus a pilgrimage destination for generations ofShōgun and importantdaimyō.
The project to plant the approaches to Nikkō with cryptomeria was begun byMatsudaira Masatsuna,daimyō ofTamanawa Domain inSagami Province, and a descendant of a cadet branch of theMatsudaira clan. He began donating and planting seedlings brought fromKii Province around the year 1625. The cedar-lined approaches were officially dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1648, on his 33rd memorial anniversary, and Matsudaira Masatsuna died later the same year. Memorial stone markers were erected in four locations by his son, who continued the project and, together with later donations, it is estimated that some 200,000 trees were planted. During the Edo period, the trees were managed by theNikkō bugyō, the magistrate in charge of the Nikkō shrines and temples. After theMeiji Restoration, the trees were endangered by neglect and logging, but an estimated 12,500 trees survive to this day.
These 400-year-old trees remained endangered due to continued urban encroachment and due to the exhaust from automobiles, as the former footpaths they line have become modern highways (Japan National Route 119 andJapan National Route 121).
Media related toCedar Avenue of Nikkō at Wikimedia Commons
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