A Gift of Cedars Planted Over Twenty Years
In 1648, on the thirty-third memorial anniversary of Tokugawa Ieyasu's death, a vassal named Matsudaira Masatsuna gave Nikkō Tōshōgū an unusual offering: the cedar trees he had spent more than two decades planting along the roads that carried pilgrims to the shrine. Masatsuna was born into the Ōkōchi family and later adopted into the Matsudaira line, and he served three generations of Tokugawa shoguns. He set young cedars, said to have come from the Kumano region of Kii Province, along the approach roads to the shrine.
He did not see the dedication completed. Masatsuna died in the sixth month of 1648, and his son Masanobu carried out his father's intention, raising the inscribed stones that record the gift.
Four of these Namiki Donation Monuments survive. One stands near the Shinkyō Bridge at the entrance to the shrine precincts, and the others mark the far ends of the three roads at Yamaguchi, Ogura, and Ōkuwa. The stones also fixed the edge of the sacred Nikkō domain, which is why local people long knew them as boundary stones.
The Only Property With Two Special Designations
The avenue holds a distinction shared by no other site in Japan. It is registered at once as a Special Historic Site and a Special Natural Monument, the highest rank in each of those two categories under the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The historic listing recognizes the Edo-period road and its monuments; the natural listing protects the living cedars.
The route was first listed as a Historic Site in 1922, raised to Special Historic Site in 1952, recognized as a Natural Monument in 1954, and elevated to Special Natural Monument in 1956. Since the 1970s the protected zone has been widened again and again, parcel by parcel, to shelter the shallow roots of the old trees from nearby roads and building work. In 1992 the route entered the Guinness World Records as the longest avenue of trees, at a certified length of 35.4 kilometers.
The tree count tells a quieter story. A register compiled by Tōshōgū in 1961 recorded 16,479 cedars. By the spring of 2024 the figure had fallen to 12,052. Roughly a hundred trees are lost each year to old age, storms, and the strain of traffic and construction. Tochigi Prefecture, which manages the avenue, runs a sponsorship scheme that lets individuals and companies fund the care of single trees, alongside land buyouts, bypass roads, and projects to restore the health of ailing cedars.
What to Look For Beneath the Canopy
Walking under the trees gives a sense of scale that numbers alone cannot. Many trunks measure more than seven meters around, and the tallest cedars rise thirty to forty meters, closing overhead into a green vault that filters the daylight. The cedar known as Namiki Tarō, roughly thirty-eight meters tall, is often named the finest of them all.
Several individual trees carry their own names and histories. In the Moritomo area along the Nikkō Road, a wild cherry seed once lodged in a split cedar trunk and grew there; the two now share one base and flower together, and the tree is called the Sakura-sugi, the cherry cedar. Another cedar has a hollow at its foot wide enough for four adults, which earned it the nickname Namiki Hotel. A third still bears the scar of a cannonball fired during the Boshin War of the late 1860s.
The choice of cedar rather than pine was deliberate. The climate around Nikko is cool and well suited to cedar, and the species was felt to carry a solemn air fitting for a shrine approach.
Visiting the Avenue
The easiest place to start is Sugi Namiki Park, near Kami-Imaichi Station on the Tobu Nikkō Line. The park sits on the site of a former guesthouse that once received Korean diplomatic missions, and it offers parking, a viewing lawn, and a botanical area among the trees. Closer to central Nikko, a stretch of National Route 119 runs straight between cedars more than three centuries old, and a short walkable section lies near the Nikko city offices.
The trees shift with the seasons. Wild asters, hydrangea, and other mountain plants bloom along the water channels through spring and summer, and the cool air under the canopy keeps the route pleasant to walk even in the heat. Events held during the year include a cedar avenue festival and a marathon run among the trees.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Tochigi
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Nikko Cedar Lined Highway / with a Monument Dedicated to the
- [ Nikko Toshogu Shrine & Kegon Falls Day Trip ]
Q&A
- What makes this avenue unique among Japan's cultural properties?
- It is the only property in Japan to hold a Special Historic Site and a Special Natural Monument designation at the same time. The historic listing covers the Edo-period road and its donation monuments, while the natural listing protects the cedars themselves.
- How long is the avenue, and how many trees remain?
- The three roads together run about 37 kilometers, with a Guinness-certified length of 35.4 kilometers. Around 12,000 cedars remain as of 2024, down from more than 16,000 in the mid-twentieth century.
- Who planted the cedars, and when?
- Matsudaira Masatsuna, a senior Tokugawa retainer, planted them over more than twenty years in the early Edo period. The finished avenue was donated to Nikkō Tōshōgū in 1648, the thirty-third memorial year of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
- Where can I see the avenue most easily?
- Sugi Namiki Park near Kami-Imaichi Station is the most convenient access point, with parking and a viewing area. A section of Route 119 near central Nikko is also easy to reach and to walk.
- Why are the trees declining, and what is being done?
- Aging, typhoons, and pressure from road traffic and development have reduced the count by about a hundred trees a year. Tochigi Prefecture protects them through a tree-sponsorship program, land purchases, bypass roads, and tree-health recovery work.
Basic Information
| Name | Nikkō Sugi Namiki Kaidō / Namiki Donation Monuments (日光杉並木街道 附 並木寄進碑) |
|---|---|
| Location | Nikko City and Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture |
| Designation | Special Historic Site (1952) and Special Natural Monument (1956); first listed as a Historic Site in 1922 |
| Period | Early Edo period; cedars planted across the 1620s to 1640s, donated in 1648 |
| Scale | About 37 km total; Guinness-certified 35.4 km; roughly 12,000 cedars (2024) |
| Managing body | Tochigi Prefecture |
| Access | Sugi Namiki Park near Kami-Imaichi Station (Tobu Nikkō Line); free to walk year-round |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/467
- Nikko Travel Navi (Official Nikko City Tourism)
- https://www.nikko-kankou.org/spot/36
- Tochigi Tabi Net (Tochigi Prefecture Tourism)
- https://www.tochigiji.or.jp/spot/s6365
- Inishie Kaidō (Tochigi Historic Roads)
- https://www.inishie.tochigi.jp/detail.html?course_id=3&id=2
- Nippon Tabi Magazine
- https://tabi-mag.jp/tg0021/
Last verified: 2026.05.28