The Jindai Keyaki of Mitake: A Giant Zelkova on a Sacred Mountain
A single zelkova tree rises beside the approach to Musashi-Mitake Shrine, about 840 meters up the slopes of Mount Mitake in Ome, on the western rim of Tokyo. Its trunk measures roughly 8.2 meters in circumference, the crown reaches close to 30 meters, and the widest branches stretch around 23 meters across the pilgrim path. People here call it the Jindai Keyaki, written with characters meaning "the zelkova of the age of the gods." Japan listed it as a Natural Monument on 18 February 1928.
The species is Zelkova serrata, known in Japanese as keyaki. Its older name, tsuki, marked it as a tree where deities were thought to settle, and zelkovas have long been kept as sacred trees in shrine grounds. This particular one sits on a steep slope among the lodging houses that line the way to the summit, no longer part of any surrounding forest, yet its limbs arch high over the stone path so that walkers pass beneath them.
Why It Was Designated
A Natural Monument designation in Japan protects features of the natural world judged to hold national value, and old or giant trees fall under the same legal category as rare animals and notable landforms. The Jindai Keyaki was registered under the criterion covering famous, giant, and aged trees. Among Japan's giant trees, zelkovas are one of the most numerous, which makes the very large specimens worth singling out. This one ranks among the largest zelkovas in the Tokyo area.
The survey filed at the time of designation records the trunk girth at about 8.2 meters when measured roughly 1.5 meters above the ground. At about 2.4 meters up, the single trunk separates into four heavy limbs that climb side by side, a habit that gives the tree its broad, candelabra-like shape. The same report put the height at close to 30 meters and described the tree as a representative example of its kind.
The name invites a question about age. "Age of the gods" hints at deep antiquity, and one persistent legend holds that the hero Yamato Takeru planted it during his campaign in eastern Japan, an event placed in the country's mythic past. Botanical estimates tell a quieter story. The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education puts the age at roughly 600 years, which would date the tree to the medieval period rather than to any divine era. Signboards and older accounts sometimes claim a thousand years. The figures are best read as estimates that disagree, and the tree predates reliable record-keeping either way.
What to Look For
Stand back a few paces on the slope below the tree and the scale becomes clear. The four main limbs rise from a low fork, and the bark carries a crowd of burls, rounded swellings of wood that have built up over centuries. Vines climb the trunk, ferns and moss take hold in the rougher bark, and the canopy supports a small community of its own. Wild birds use it through the seasons, and giant flying squirrels, the nocturnal musasabi, are known to nest nearby.
Because the tree grows in the open rather than inside a wood, the light falls on it directly, and the branch structure reads plainly against the sky. Autumn turns the leaves and those of the trees around it, and the path here makes a natural place to pause on the climb toward the shrine. The trunk is fenced, so the tree is admired from the path rather than touched.
Around Mount Mitake
The tree stands on the route to Musashi-Mitake Shrine, the mountain-worship shrine at the 929-meter summit whose history reaches back many centuries and which is widely known for its veneration of wolves as guardian spirits. The streets just below the shrine form a village of shukubo, pilgrim lodgings run for generations by oshi, the resident priests who once guided visiting worshippers. Several of the old oshi residences survive, including the Baba family house.
Most visitors ride the Mitake Tozan Railway cable car to Mitakesan Station, then walk about ten minutes toward the shrine, passing the zelkova on the way. Beyond the summit, walking trails lead to the Rock Garden, a mossy gorge of stepping stones, and to the Nanayo and Ayahiro waterfalls. The Mitake Visitor Center explains the area's natural history, and a second old tree, the roughly 500-year-old Jindai Ginkgo, grows on the same mountain. At the foot of the slope, the Mitake Gorge along the Tama River draws walkers and paddlers.
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Q&A
- How do I reach the Jindai Keyaki?
- Take the Mitake Tozan Railway cable car to Mitakesan Station and walk about ten minutes along the approach toward Musashi-Mitake Shrine. The tree stands beside the path, among the lodging houses, and cannot be missed.
- How old is the tree really?
- Estimates differ. The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education gives about 600 years, while local tradition claims around 1,000. The name and a legend tie it to the mythic hero Yamato Takeru, but the lower figure reflects botanical assessment.
- What does "Jindai" mean?
- It means "the age of the gods," the mythic era described in Japan's oldest chronicles. The name reflects the tree's reputation for great antiquity rather than a documented planting date.
- Can I touch the tree or walk up to it?
- No. The trunk is fenced to protect it, so it is viewed from the path. The branches arch overhead, so you walk beneath the canopy as you continue toward the shrine.
- Is there anything else to see at the same spot?
- Yes. The shrine at the summit, the surviving oshi lodging houses, the Rock Garden and waterfalls, the Mitake Visitor Center, and a separate old tree, the Jindai Ginkgo, are all within reach of a single day's visit.
Basic Information
| Name | Mitake no Jindai Keyaki (the Jindai Zelkova of Mitake) |
|---|---|
| Species | Zelkova serrata (Japanese zelkova) |
| Location | Mitakesan, Ome City, Tokyo |
| Designation | National Natural Monument |
| Date designated | 18 February 1928 |
| Trunk circumference | About 8.2 m |
| Height | About 30 m |
| Branch spread | About 23 m |
| Estimated age | About 600 years (Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education); locally cited as up to 1,000 years |
| Owner | Ome City |
| Access | About 10 minutes on foot from Mitakesan Station (Mitake Tozan Railway cable car) |
| Viewing | Open along the public approach; trunk fenced, viewed from the path |
References
- National Database of Designated Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs) — Mitake no Jindai Keyaki
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/697
- Ome City Official Website — Mitake no Jindai Keyaki
- https://www.city.ome.tokyo.jp/site/provincial-history-museum/2958.html
- Mitake no Jindai Keyaki (Japanese Wikipedia)
- https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/御岳ノ神代欅
Last verified: 2026.05.28