Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area: Home of Japan's Most Primitive Wild Pear
The Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area (東阿倉川イヌナシ自生地) is a natural habitat of the inunashi, a wild pear, in Higashiakuragawa, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture, designated a national Natural Monument in 1922.
It was designated on 12 October 1922, and Yokkaichi City has been its managing body since 13 December 1923.
Why It Is Protected
The agency's original description calls the inunashi (Pyrus dimorphophylla) the most primitive of Japan's wild pears, with fruit only about 1 centimetre across.
According to Yokkaichi City, in 1902 Uematsu Eijiro, a teacher at a Yokkaichi school, found the tree with colleagues and sent it to the botanist Makino Tomitaro, who judged it a new species and named it inunashi. The significance of the Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area is that the very place where the species was named is protected.
What to Look For
Yokkaichi City says the site has 2 of the original trees, 6 trees transplanted for observation, and one tree of the related ainashi. Small white flowers open in mid-April, and in summer the trees bear fruit about 1 centimetre across that look almost exactly like the pears we eat.
The land once suited the trees well, with a stream in the hollow keeping it moist and a gentle southward slope for drainage. Post-war development and polluted water degraded it, and only 2 original trees remain. Local preservation groups, children's clubs and a junior high school student council now care for them.
Visiting
The site lies east of Yokkaichi City Yamate Junior High School. There are no set hours, fees or visitor facilities.
Do not touch the trees or take branches or fruit, and avoid disturbing the conservation work. Enquiries go to Yokkaichi City's culture section.
Q&A
- Where is the Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area?
- In Higashiakuragawa, Yokkaichi, east of Yamate Junior High School.
- What is the inunashi?
- The most primitive of Japan's wild pears, flowering white in mid-April and fruiting in summer at about 1 centimetre across.
- How was the inunashi discovered?
- Uematsu Eijiro and colleagues found it in 1902, and Makino Tomitaro identified it as a new species.
- When was the Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area designated?
- On 12 October 1922.
- How many inunashi trees are there?
- According to Yokkaichi City, 2 original trees and 6 transplanted ones, plus one ainashi.
Basic Information
| Name | Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area |
|---|---|
| Location | Higashiakuragawa, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture |
| Designation | Natural Monument |
| Year Designated | Designated 1922/10/12 (Taisho 11) |
| Quantity | 2 original inunashi trees (6 transplanted) |
| Dimensions | Fruit about 1 cm across |
| Owner | Managed by Yokkaichi City |
| Public Access | Outdoor site; no visitor facilities |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/1493
- Cultural Heritage Online: Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/162941
- Yokkaichi City: Higashiakura River Inunashi Natural Area (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yokkaichi.lg.jp/www/contents/1001000002673/index.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27