A Single Tree, Once Two
Step through the stone torii of Hakusan Shrine in Nerima Ward and the first thing you notice is the trunk. It rises just beyond the railing, gnarled and column-like, with bark so deeply furrowed it looks closer to weathered rock than wood. This is the surviving keyaki (Japanese zelkova, Zelkova serrata) of two trees once designated together as a national Natural Monument. At roughly 19 meters tall and 8 meters around at its base, it is the largest specimen of its species within Tokyo.
The shrine itself is small and ordinary by central Tokyo standards: a single torii, a short flight of stone steps, a modest hall behind. The tree is the reason to come.
The Lost Twin
For most of the twentieth century, visitors saw two giant zelkovas here, one at the base of the steps and one at the top. The upper tree, taller in profile though slightly slimmer at the trunk (about 14 meters high, 7.2 meters around), was the original Natural Monument, designated in July 1940. Decades of internal decay had hollowed its core. In October 2015 a typhoon snapped the main trunk, and the next year the remains had to be removed.
The tree that survives, at the foot of the steps, was added to the designation in March 1996. Its trunk has its own scars. Lightning strikes and a hollowing interior brought it close to failure in the 1980s, but a course of treatment by tree-care specialists between 1991 and 1997 helped restore the canopy. Today the crown spreads wide above the precinct fence, dark green in summer and gold in late November.
The Yoshiie Legend
Local tradition links the tree to a moment in 1083, when the warrior Minamoto no Yoshiie passed through what was then a thinly settled stretch of Musashi Province on his way north to suppress the Later Three Years' War. He is said to have lodged at the residence of a local figure, Toshima no Chikayoshi, and to have offered zelkova saplings at Hakusan Shrine to pray for victory. The surviving giant, estimated at about 900 years old, is said to be one of those saplings grown tall.
The story is uncheckable in any strict historical sense. The shrine's founding documents burned in an early-Meiji fire, and the only certain thing about the precinct's age is that medieval stone steles (itabi) found here confirm worship at the site by at least the Kamakura period. Still, the tree's dimensions and a dendrological estimate of roughly 800 to 900 years sit comfortably within the legend's window, which is part of why locals have repeated it.
What to Look For
Take time at the base. The buttress roots flare unusually wide, partly because the ground was built up around the original tree to support it. The bark splits into long vertical plates that peel slightly at the edges, characteristic of mature zelkova and quite different from the smooth grey bark of younger specimens. Look up into the crown for the asymmetry: the original main trunk is long gone, and what you see overhead is supported by secondary branches that took over the load.
Seasonally, the tree changes character. In April the new leaves emerge almost yellow-green and very fine. By midsummer the canopy is dense enough to throw deep shade across the precinct. November turns the leaves to a muted gold, less showy than maples but more architectural, and the bare winter silhouette shows the trunk's full mass against the houses behind.
Around the Shrine
Hakusan Shrine sits in a quiet residential pocket near Toshimaen Station, about a four-minute walk to the southeast. The area immediately south is dotted with eleven small Pure Land Buddhist temples known collectively as the Nerima Jūichi-kaji, relocated here after a fire destroyed their original Asakusa precinct in 1665 and worth a wander for anyone interested in early-Edo religious geography. A few minutes farther east takes you toward Nerima Station and the open lawns of what is now Nerima Castle Park, the former site of the Toshimaen amusement park (closed in 2020 and partially redeveloped).
The shrine is open day and night with no admission fee. Photography is permitted in the precincts; the inner hall is off-limits to cameras. The autumn festival, held on the second Sunday of October, brings the small lanes around the precinct alive with local food stalls and portable-shrine processions.
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Q&A
- How old is the tree, really?
- Dendrological estimates put it at roughly 800 to 900 years, which matches the local legend of saplings offered in 1083 but cannot be confirmed precisely. Hollow-trunk specimens of this size are notoriously hard to ring-count.
- Wasn't there a second tree?
- Yes. The upper tree, at the top of the stone steps, was the original 1940 designation. A typhoon broke its trunk in October 2015 and it was removed the following year. Only the lower tree, added to the designation in 1996, remains.
- When is the best time to visit?
- Late November for golden foliage, or April for the pale new leaves. Winter offers the clearest view of the trunk's mass without canopy cover.
- How do I get there from central Tokyo?
- Take the Toei Ōedo Line or Seibu Toshima Line to Toshimaen Station, about a 4 to 5 minute walk. Alternatively, Nerima Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line is roughly 7 to 10 minutes away.
- Can I touch the tree?
- No. A railing surrounds the trunk to protect the root zone from compaction. Visitors can approach to within about a meter and view the tree closely, but contact is not allowed.
Basic Information
| Name | Nerima Hakusan Jinja no Ōkeyaki (The Great Zelkova of Nerima Hakusan Shrine) |
|---|---|
| Designation | National Natural Monument (天然記念物) |
| Original Designation | 12 July 1940 (Shōwa 15) |
| Additional Designation | 29 March 1996 (Heisei 8); covering the surviving lower tree |
| Designation Criterion | (I) Notable trees, giant trees, ancient trees, deformed trees, original cultivated plants, tree avenues, and shrine groves |
| Species | Zelkova serrata (keyaki) |
| Height | Approximately 19 meters |
| Trunk circumference | Approximately 8 meters at the base |
| Estimated age | Approximately 900 years |
| Location | Hakusan Shrine, 4-1-2 Nerima, Nerima-ku, Tokyo |
| Access | 4–5 min walk from Toshimaen Station (Toei Ōedo Line / Seibu Toshima Line); 7–10 min walk from Nerima Station (Seibu Ikebukuro Line) |
| Visiting | Open daily, no admission fee; precinct photography permitted |
References
- Cultural Heritage Database, Agency for Cultural Affairs — Nerima Hakusan Jinja no Ōkeyaki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/702
- Nerima City Official Site — Designated Cultural Properties
- https://www.city.nerima.tokyo.jp/kankomoyoshi/annai/rekishiwoshiru/rekishibunkazai/bunkazai/b001.html
- Nerima Tourism Association — Hakusan Shrine
- https://www.nerimakanko.jp/spot/detail.php?spot_id=s000000019
- Hakusan Shrine (Nerima) Official Site
- https://nerimahakusan.or.jp/
Last verified: 2026.05.28