A Giant Cedar on the Pilgrim's Path
About halfway along the stone approach to Haruna Shrine, where the gorge narrows and the path begins its final climb toward the main hall, a single cedar rises far above the surrounding forest. This is the Yatate Sugi, the Yatate Cedar. It is large enough that visitors often stop without meaning to and tilt their heads back to follow the trunk upward.
The cedar's girth at chest height measures roughly 9.4 meters. Six or seven adults with arms outstretched would be needed to encircle it. Foresters who survey the giant trees of Gunma Prefecture estimate its age at four to five centuries, and a few accounts push the figure higher. At about nine meters above the ground the trunk divides into two great limbs, a feature noted in the tree's official documentation and plainly visible from the path below.
Japanese cedar, called sugi (Cryptomeria japonica), is the country's most widely planted conifer and a frequent presence at shrines, where individual trees were often left to grow for centuries as living markers of sacred ground. The Yatate Cedar is among the largest of its kind in Gunma, and on April 13, 1933, it was designated a National Natural Monument.
An Arrow, a Warlord, and a Name
The tree's name carries a story. "Yatate" can be read as "arrow-standing," and it points to a practice from Japan's age of warring provinces, when commanders prayed at shrines before a campaign and, by custom, loosed an arrow into a tree on the grounds to seal the petition.
Local tradition connects the cedar to Takeda Shingen, the formidable warlord of Kai Province whose armies pressed repeatedly into this region during the 1560s. One account holds that Shingen prayed at Haruna Shrine for success against Minowa Castle, a stronghold that guarded the plains below, and that after the castle fell he returned in thanks and laid his bow and arrows at the foot of this tree. The episode is why some call it the "Shingen Yatate Cedar."
Like much that survives from that century, the details resist firm proof. Minowa Castle is documented as falling to the Takeda forces in 1566, yet the dates given for the prayer in different tellings do not always match, and the link to this particular tree rests on local memory rather than records. What is not in doubt is the broader custom. Haruna Shrine sat within a landscape contested by the Takeda, the Uesugi, the Nagano, and other powers, and several of those families issued formal notices forbidding their soldiers from looting the mountain. A warlord pausing here to pray would have been entirely in keeping with the times.
Why the Tree Is Protected
Japan began listing natural monuments in the early twentieth century to safeguard landscapes, geological features, plants, and animals of scientific or cultural importance. Notable trees form one recognized category, which covers famous trees, giant trees, ancient trees, and the sacred groves around shrines.
The Yatate Cedar qualifies on size and age alone. Its trunk dimensions place it near the top of any list of cedars in the prefecture, and a tree of such bulk represents centuries of uninterrupted growth on a single spot, something that grows rarer with each generation. Its long association with Haruna Shrine adds a cultural dimension. The cedar has lived through the shrine's medieval prominence, its decline during the wars, and its revival in the Edo period.
Age has not left the tree untouched. A powerful typhoon in August 1982 caused considerable damage, and the cedar today shows the marks of that storm and of the centuries before it. Recent surveys by tree specialists record a height of around 33 meters, while older descriptions and many travel guides cite figures closer to 55 meters. The gap likely reflects both the loss of crown in the typhoon and the difficulty of measuring a tall tree on steep ground.
Standing Beneath the Yatate Cedar
The cedar stands on the left side of the approach, a short walk before the main hall. Reaching it means walking the shrine path itself, and the path is part of the reward.
From the lower car park the route runs for roughly ten minutes through a ravine of dark rock and running water. Cedars and cypress crowd the slopes. Curious rock formations appear along the way, each with its own name, and the sound of the Misuzu Falls reaches the path before the falls come into view. By the time the Yatate Cedar appears, the walk has already set a mood of quiet attention, and the tree gives that attention something to settle on.
Look first at the base, where the bark has thickened into heavy vertical ridges. Follow the trunk up to the point where it splits, and notice how the two limbs continue as though each were a full tree in its own right. A low fence keeps visitors back from the roots, which protects the soil around the tree from being compacted underfoot. There is no admission gate and no fixed viewing hour for the cedar; it can be seen whenever the shrine grounds are open.
Around Haruna Shrine
The cedar is one stop on a walk that rewards slow travel. Haruna Shrine itself is old. Its name appears in a register of important shrines completed in 927, and the shrine traces its founding centuries earlier still. Several of its buildings, including the main hall built in the elaborate gongen style, are designated Important Cultural Properties, and they sit against a backdrop of cliffs so dramatic that the architecture and the rock seem to belong to a single composition.
The approach passes other large trees as well. A cedar in front of the main hall and an old zelkova nearby are each thought to be around six centuries old, though neither carries a separate designation.
Beyond the shrine, the village at the gate preserves a row of former pilgrims' lodgings, some of them registered cultural properties, where pilgrimage associations once stayed and in certain cases still do. Ikaho, a hot-spring town known for its long stone stairway, lies about twenty minutes away by car and makes a natural pairing for an overnight trip. The wider Haruna area also includes the crater lake of Mount Haruna, popular in every season.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Gunma
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Yatate Cedar at Haruna Shrine
- [ Kusatsu Onsen & Tomioka Silk Mill Heritage Tours ]
Q&A
- Where exactly is the Yatate Cedar?
- It stands within the grounds of Haruna Shrine in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, on the left side of the stone approach a short distance before the main hall. From the nearest car park it is about a ten-minute walk.
- Can I visit the tree freely?
- Yes. The cedar is on the open approach to the shrine and has no separate admission fee or fixed viewing hours. It can be seen whenever the shrine grounds are accessible. A low fence keeps visitors a little back from the roots.
- How old is the tree, and how big?
- Tree specialists estimate its age at four to five centuries, with some accounts suggesting more. Its trunk measures roughly 9.4 meters around at chest height and divides into two main limbs about nine meters up.
- Why is it called the "Yatate" Cedar?
- "Yatate" refers to the old practice of shooting an arrow into a shrine tree when praying for victory in war. Local tradition links the cedar to the warlord Takeda Shingen, who is said to have prayed here and later left his bow and arrows at the tree.
- Is the legend about Takeda Shingen confirmed?
- It is best treated as tradition rather than documented fact. The dates vary between tellings, and no surviving record fixes the event to this tree. The custom of warlords praying at the shrine, however, is well attested for that period.
Basic Information
| Name | Yatate Sugi of Haruna Shrine (Haruna-jinja no Yatate Sugi) |
|---|---|
| Location | Within Haruna Shrine, 849 Haruna-san-machi, Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture |
| Designation | National Natural Monument |
| Date of designation | April 13, 1933 |
| Designation category | Notable trees (famous, giant, and ancient trees, and sacred groves) |
| Species | Japanese cedar, sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) |
| Estimated age | Approx. 400 to 500 years |
| Trunk girth | Approx. 9.4 m at chest height |
| Height | Approx. 33 m by recent survey (older accounts cite up to about 55 m) |
| Access | About 10 minutes on foot from the lower Haruna Shrine car park; the tree stands beside the approach, just before the main hall |
| Viewing | Freely visible during shrine opening hours; no admission fee for the tree |
References
- National Cultural Properties Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/539
- Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/137904
- Takasaki City Official Website, Cultural Property Information
- https://www.city.takasaki.gunma.jp/site/cultural-assets/4631.html
- Giant and Ancient Trees of Gunma, Gunma Prefecture Greening Promotion Committee
- https://www.g-sinrin.jp/kyozyukoboku/榛名神社の矢立杉/
- Kokoro ni Guggutto Kanko Gunma (Gunma Tourism)
- https://gunma-kanko.jp/spots/673
Last verified: 2026.05.22