THE SAKAKI TREE – FROM MYTH TO MODERN JAPAN

Renata Maria Rusu∗

[email protected]

Abstract: In this paper, we will discuss the role played by the Sakaki tree
in Japanese mythology as well as in modern culture. This tree is mentioned in
the episode of the rites observed to convince Amaterasu–ō–mikami to come out
of the heavenly rock cave, in the Kojiki. A similar passage is found in Nihon
Shoki, which also mentions the “Sakaki of Mount Shitsu” and “a flourishing
Sakaki” in other episodes. Besides being mentioned by Japanese myths, the
Sakaki is present in the life of the Japanese in many forms. It has been used
since ancient times in divine rituals, and Sakaki branches are used even today in
some shintō rituals; one of these is the Yomisashi Matsuri (celebrated every
October at Ōmiya Shrine in Iwade Town, Wakayama Prefecture), a festival
which we briefly present in this paper.

Keywords: Japanese mythology, Sakaki tree, Yomisashi Matsuri.

0. Introduction
The Sakaki tree, or Cleyera japonica, is an evergreen tree whose branches
are used in shintō rituals, usually as offering wands (tamagushi) presented before
a kami. When presented as tamagushi, paper streamers (shide) are usually
attached to the branch. Branches of Sakaki are often used for decoration,
purification implements, and as hand-held "props" (torimono) in ritual dance.
Sakaki branches are also used to decorate shrine buildings or fences, as a means
of delimitating sacred spaces.1
In this paper, we discuss the role played by the Sakaki tree in Japanese
mythology as well as in modern culture. For the mythological part, we take a look
at the episode describing the rites observed to convince Amaterasu–ō–mikami to
come out of the heavenly rock cave in Kojiki, and at the similar passage found in
Nihon Shoki, which also mentions the tree on other occasions. For the modern
culture part, we present the use of Sakaki branches during Yomisashi Matsuri, a
festival held at Ōmiya Shrine in Iwade Town, Wakayama Prefecture.

1. Sakaki in mythology
In the first section of Kojiki, the section dealing with the "divine age", the
Sakaki tree is mentioned in the episode of the rites observed to convince
Amaterasu–ō–mikami to get out of the heavenly rock cave. This episode in which
Amaterasu–ō–mikami, angry with her brother Susa-no-ono-mikoto, hides
herself into a cage leaving the whole world in darkness is one of the most famous

∗
Researcher, Ph.D, - Babes-Bolyai University, Romania.
1 Inoue Nobutaka, Sakaki, in Encyclopaedia of Shinto, site accessed on July 15, 2011.
episodes in Japanese mythology. “Owing to this, eternal night prevailed”2 says the
Kojiki, and according to the Nihon Shoki, “…constant darkness prevailed on
all sides, and the alternation of night and day was unknown”3.
The story goes like this: the divine couple, Izanagi and Izanami, gave birth
to the Japanese islands and to many kami. Their daughter, Amaterasu–ō–
mikami, born from the left eye of her father, became the celestial sun goddess
from whom the Japanese imperial family claims descent. Her brother Susanoo,
the storm god, was sent to rule the sea. But before going, Susanoo destroyed the
rice fields, defiled his sister's dwelling, and threw a flayed horse through her
weaving hall. Indignant, Amaterasu–ō–mikami withdrew to a rock cave and
fastened the rock door, plunging the world into darkness. Eight hundred other
gods gathered and conferred on how to lure the sun goddess out in order to
restore the cycle of night and day. So the gods dug up a 500-branched Sakaki tree
from the heavenly Mount Kagu; on its upper branches they hung an eight-foot
string of 500 jewels, on its middle branches an eight-foot long mirror, and on its
lower branches were placed white and blue offerings. Then came Ame-no-uzume-
no-mikoto (Her-Augustness-Heavenly-Alarming-Female) and using club moss
as a sash, branches from the Sakaki as a headdress, and leaves of bamboo grass
as a posy, she performed a provocative dance, which delighted the assembled
gods so that they roared with laughter. Amaterasu–ō–mikami, curious about
why the gods could be so merry when the world was plunged in darkness and told
that outside the cave there was a goddess more illustrious than she, peeked out of
the cave and saw her reflection in the mirror hanging from the Sakaki. Entranced
by the sight, she was drawn out of the cave and the gods quickly threw
a shimenawa – a sacred rope of rice straw – in front ot the rock door, to prevent
her return to hiding. Thus, light was restored to both the heavens and the earth.
Let us look at how the story is told in the Kojiki first:
“So thereupon the Heaven-Shining-Great-August-Deity,
terrified at the sight, closed [behind her] the door of the Heavenly
Rock-Dwelling, made it fast, and retired, Then the whole Plain of
High Heaven was obscured and all the Central Land of Reed-Plains
darkened. Owing to this, eternal night prevailed. Hereupon the
voices of the myriad Deities were like unto the flies in the fifth
moon as they swarm and a myriad portents of woe arose.”4

Takamitsu Kōnoshi points out the fact that although this episode takes
place in the Plain of High Heaven, it seems to be self-evident that the Central
Land of Reed-Plains is also affected.5 And later, when Amaterasu–ō–mikami is
out of the cave, “both the Plain of High Heaven and the Central-Land-of-Reed-

2 Basil Hall Chamberlain (trans.), The Kojiki. Records of Ancient Matters, Boston, Tuttle

Publishing, 1981, p. 64.

3 W.G. Aston (trans.), Nihongi. Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to A. D. 697,

Boston, Tuttle Publishing, 1972, p. 41.

4 Basil Hall Chamberlain (trans.), op. cit., pp. 64 – 65.
5 Takamitsu Kōnoshi, Kojiki to Nihonshoki. ‘Tennōshinwa’ no rekishi, Tōkyō, Kōdansha

Gendaishinsho, p. 100.

Cogito – Multidisciplinary Research Journal 85

Plains of course again became light.”6 This means that Amaterasu–ō–mikami
influences both worlds, proving a strong relation between the world of the gods
and the world of the humans. On the temporal aspect, both mythological records
emphasize the unchanging condition of darkness, although there is no hint of
time coming to an end.7
What happens in this myth is that the principle of kegare (impure, unclean)
becomes predominant, making it necessary for certain rites to be performed, so
that the ke8 (ordinary, mundane, everyday life) can be restored. In this context,
the role and the description of the Sakaki in this myth are very interesting. The
passage in the Kojiki states that "they tore from the very roots the
flourishing masakaki of the mountain Ame no Kaguyama," and
festooned it with jewel beads, a mirror, and cloth (nigite). The Sakaki
is called “the true” tree and it is said to have five hundred branches, which
become the support of the various sacred objects – the jewels, the mirror, the
blue and the white offerings. Then, “liturgies” are recited in the presence of the
tree, clearly showing that some king of religious manifestations were associated
with it.

“Hereupon the voices of the myriad Deities were like unto the
flies in the fifth moon as they swarm and a myriad portents of woe
arose. Therefore did the eight hundred myriad Deities assemble in
a divine assembly in the bed of the Tranquil River of Heaven, and
bid the Deity Thought-Includer, child of the High-August-
Producing-Wondrous-Deity think of a plan, assembling the long-
singing birds of eternal night and making them sing, taking the
hard rocks of Heaven from the river-bed of the Tranquil River of
Heaven, and taking the iron from the Heavenly Metal-Mountains,
calling in the smith Ama-tsu-ma-ra, charging Her Augustness I-
shi-ko-ri-do-me to make a mirror, and charging His Augustness
Jewel-Ancestor to make an august complete [string] of curved
jewels eight feet [long], of five hundred jewels, and summoning
His Augustness Heavenly-BeckoninAncestor-Lord and His
Augustness Grand-Jewel, and causing them to pull out with a
complete pulling the shoulder [-blade] of a true stag from the
Heavenly Mount Kagu, and take cherry-bark from the Heavenly
Mount Kagu, and perform divination, and pulling up by pulling its
roots a true cleyera japonica with five hundred [branches] from the
Heavenly Mount Kagu, and taking and putting upon its upper
branches the august complete [string] of curved jewels eight feet
[long], - of five hundred jewels, - and taking and tying to the

6 Basil Hall Chamberlain (trans.), op.cit., p. 70.

7 There is a very similar story in the Bible, Joshua 10:12, when the sun stands still in answer to
the call “Stand still, O Sun!”, but time does not stop.
8 Ke, hare, and kegare are three concepts specific to Japanese festivals. For more on these

concepts, see Rusu Renata Maria, The Japanese and Time, in STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABES-
BOLYAI PHILOLOGIA, 1, 2006, pp.171 – 184.

86 Vol. IV, no. 1/march, 2012

 middle branches the middle branches the mirror eight feet [long],
and taking and hanging upon its lower branches the white
pacificatory offerings and the blue pacificatory offerings, His
Augustness Grand-Jewel taking these divers things and holding
them together with the grand august offerings, and His Augustness
Heavenly-Beckoning-Ancestor-Lord prayerfully reciting grand
liturgies, and the Heavenly Hand-Strength-Male-Deity standing
hidden beside the door, and Her Augustness Heavenly-Alarming-
Female hanging [round her] the heavenly clubmoss from the
Heavenly Mount Kagu as a sash, and making the heavenly spindle-
tree her head-dress, and biding the leaves of the bamboo-grass of
the Heavenly Mount Kagu in a posy for her hands, laying a
sounding-board before the door of the Heavenly Rock-Dwelling ,
and stamping till she made it resound and doing as if possessed by
a Deity, and pulling out the nipples of her breasts, pushing down
her skirt – string usque ad privates partes. Then the Plain of High
Heaven shook, and the eight hundred myriad Deities laughed
together.”9

A similar passage is found in the Nihon Shoki, which also includes a passage
in the record of Emperor Keikō that mentions the Sakaki of Mount Shitsu, while
the record of Emperor Chūai refers to a “flourishing Sakaki”. All of these records
note that jewels, swords, and mirrors were hung from the branches. In the
Nihon Shoki, the above episode is retold as follows:

“Then the eighty myriads of Gods met on the bank of the

Tranquil River of Heaven, and considered in what manner they
should supplicate her [Amaterasu–ō–mikami]. Accordingly
Omohi-kane no Kami, with profound device and far-reaching
thought, at length gathered long-singing birds of the Eternal Land
and made them utter their prolonged cry to one another. Moreover
he made Ta-jikara-wo no Kami to stand beside the Rock-door,
Then Ame no Koyane no Mikoto, ancestor of the Nakatomi no
Muraji, and Futo-dama no Mikoto, ancestor of the Imibe no Obito,
dug up a five-hundred branched True Sakaki tree of the Heavenly
Mt. Kagu. On its upper branches they hung an august five-hundred
string of Yasaka jewels. On the middle branches they hung an
eight-hand mirror. One writing says Ma-futsu no Kagami. On its
lower branches they hung blue soft offerings and white soft
offerings. Then they recited their liturgy together.”10

All the preparations the kami make in order to make Amaterasu–ō–mikami

get out of the cave – the dance performed by Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto, the use

9 Basil Hall Chamberlain (trans.), op.cit., pp. 64-70.

10 W. G. Aston (trans.), op.cit., pp. 42-43.

Cogito – Multidisciplinary Research Journal 87

of the Sakaki tree branches, the jewels, the mirror, which are objects that can all
be seen today in any shintō shrine – are elements of such rites. Mirrors, together
with swords, spears, and halberds were found among the bronze – and later iron
– artefacts of the Yayoi period (250 B.C. – A.D. 250) used for religious and
ceremonial purposes.

The use of mirrors, together with gems and bronze spears, swords, and
halberds for ceremonial purposes is specific to the people of Kyushu, while the
people of Yamato used bronze bells. The ritualistic use of these artefacts was
connected to political control; apparently, shields and spears were sent to
governors and chiefs, and were interred in the sacred hills to ensure the
protection of the frontiers. The bronze spear thus became a symbol of divine
presence and of power. The imperial family used the sacred sword, the mirror,
and the gem as the three symbols to assert its authority and legitimacy, proving
that the possession of such symbols endowed the possessor with authority and
legitimacy.11
Similarly, the Sakaki has been used since ancient times in divine rituals.
While the name originally referred to all evergreens, it gradually was limited to
trees of the tea family. However, a number of other trees, such as oak (kashi),
cryptomeria (sugi), boxwood (tsuge), and fir (momi) are sometimes substituted
in ritual use. As the examples of masakaki found in Kojiki and Nihon
Shoki suggest, the trees are decorated in a number of different ways: some are
adorned with mirrors, jewels, and swords, some with five-coloured silks, mirror,
jewels and swords, while others were decorated only with five-coloured silks.12
According to the Encyclopaedia of Shinto,

“In the Rules for Ritual Procedure at Shrines (Jinja saishiki)

implemented in 1875, the term masakaki is used to refer to two
poles of Japanese cypress (hinoki), to the tips of which are
attached branches of Sakaki and below which are attached five-
colour silks (blue, yellow, red, white, and purple). The pole on the
right (when facing the shrine) is decorated with a mirror and a
jewel, and the one on the left with a sword.”13

Even today the chief place of worship of Amaterasu–ō–mikami is the Grand

Shrine of Ise, the foremost shintō shrine in Japan. She is manifested there in a
mirror that is one of the three Imperial Treasures of Japan. The Sakaki is
represented by the shinno-mihashira – a sacred central post – over and around
which the wooden shrine is built. Also, in imitation of the myth, mirrors are hung
in Sakaki trees at other shintō shrines.
As we see, the Sakaki tree plays a crucial role both in myth and in shintō
rituals. In the perspective of the symbolism of the concept of axis mundi, the

11 Mikiso Hane, Premodern Japan. A Historical Survey, Colorado, Westview Press, 1991,
p. 13.
12 Inoue Nobutaka, Sakaki, in Encyclopaedia of Shinto, site accessed on July 15, 2011.
13 Loc. cit.

88 Vol. IV, no. 1/march, 2012

above myth is interesting as the Sakaki tree seems to be associated with a
mountain, Mount Kagu. As to the cave, it is itself is a very important aspect. E. A.
Kasper, quoted by Hans Biedermann, says:

“The retreat to the cave is primal; the cave is refuge, shelter.

Going into it is returning to the womb, negating birth, submerging
into shadow and the nocturnal world of non differentiation. It is
the renunciation of life on earth in favour of the higher life of the
unborn … [In the cave] there is no time, neither yesterday nor
tomorrow, for day and night there are as one.”14

In the section about Chūai in the Nihon Shoki, we learn that when Kuma-
wani, the ancestor of Agatanushi of Oka, and Itote, the ancestor of Agatanushi of
Ito received the emperor, they

"… hung an eight-span jewelled necklace, a bronze mirror,

and a ten-span sword on an uprooted sakaki tree, and told the
emperor 'may you oversee mountains, rivers, and oceans as clearly
as the bronze mirror, may you govern as skilfully as the intricately
curved jewels, and may you pacify the realm with this ten-span
sword." 15

This section retells the ritual of receiving the visit of an emperor, but it also
applies to receiving the visit of a kami. It is interesting to note that similarly to
the above description, in a poem attributed to prince Karu in the section about
emperor Ingyō in the Kojiki, a mirror hung on a sacred pillar (igui) and
jewellery hung on a true pillar (magui)16 are mentioned, as well as raising sacred
pillars during rituals of veneration for a kami by a river.17

2. Yomisashi Matsuri and the sacred Sakaki tree

Nature is sacred for the Japanese and for shintō, as contact with nature
ensures closeness to the kami – the deities worshiped as part of this “way of the
gods”. In ancient times, the kami were thought to dwell in various things, like
mountains and stones, as well as mighty trees, and so trees and woods were
objects of worship in primitive Japan. Trees of great age and size or deep forests
were particularly looked upon as sacred and possessed by kami. People selected
specific locations or specific trees in forests as himorogi (seats of the kami) and
specially honored them as places of worship. Later, the kami were thought to
dwell in the shrines, but even now, on the occasion of a matsuri, at least once a
year, they are escorted in a solemn procession from the shrine back to the sacred

14 Hans Biedermann, Dictionary of Symbolism. Cultural Icons & the Meanings Behind Them,

translated by James Hulbert, New York, Meridian, 1994, p. 62.

15 W. G. Aston (trans.), op.cit., pp. 220-221.
16 Basil Hall Chamberlain, op.cit., p 366.
17 Sugiyama Shigetsugu,, Ancient Shinto in Encyclopaedia of Shinto, site accessed on July 15,

2011.

Cogito – Multidisciplinary Research Journal 89

trees or the sacred mountain on which they are believed to have descended from
heaven. Shrine precincts in Japan are commonly surrounded by deep forests and
tall trees, but these are not mere accessories of a shrine, they have an inherent
significance: the forests and trees are tokens of the kami's presence and
symbolize the kami themselves. At present, sacred trees are often seen
surrounded by shimenawa ropes all over Japan.
The Sakaki is unquestionably the best known and most common tree symbol
in shintō. The Sakaki tree18, with a unique
history, holds a particular position as an
especially sacred tree not only in mythology,
as we saw in the previous section, but also in
sacred rituals. From the tree, the divine spirit
is transferred to a branch of Sakaki. The
primitive belief in the virtues of the Sakaki
has continued through the centuries and
individual trees of great age and size are
worshipped everywhere in Japan. Commonly
used in shintō rituals, it is part of the
everyday life of Japanese people, and
branches of this tree are commonly found on
sale in flower shops in present – day Japan.

Sakaki tree branches sold in a flower shop in a supermarket in

Nagoya, Japan (picture taken by the author of this article)

In shintō rituals and ceremonies, holy streamers called gohei are hung on
holy straw ropes or branches of the holy Sakaki tree to invoke the presence of
the kami. Gohei are also know as ō-nusa or "great offerings" and are still in use
on important occasions. The ō -nusa consist of two wands placed side by side,
from the ends of which hang hemp fibre and several strips of paper. One of the
wands is made of Sakaki wood, while the other is made from a bamboo stem.
Their use is connected with an old Japanese rule of etiquette that presents to a
superior should be delivered attached to a branch of a tree, so as to mark the
respect of the giver from the receiver.
There are many theories regarding the etymology of the word Sakaki. Some
are based on the nature of the Sakaki as an "evergreen" or "always thriving tree"
(sakaeru-ki), and thus point to the sense of prosperity or thriving, or to the fact

18 Cleyera japonica is a low-spreading, medium-sized evergreen tree of the tea family, which

also includes tea and camellia. It has relatively smooth bark and alternate leaves, which are a deep
green on top and pale yellowish-green underneath. In spring, the Sakaki produces creamy-white
flowers, followed by dark red berries. It grows in warm areas of Japan, Korea, and mainland China,
and it may reach a height of about ten meters. The wood is often used for building, for utensils or
combs, and as fuel.

90 Vol. IV, no. 1/march, 2012

that the evergreen Sakaki represents constancy or permanence and expresses the
eternal presence and power of a kami at a shrine; others derive from the use of
the tree as a "border-tree" (sakai-ki) used to demarcate sacred space.19 This last
theory is very evident in the use of Sakaki branches during Yomisashi Matsuri, a
festival held at Ōmiya Shrine in Iwade Town, Wakayama Prefecture.
Traditionally, Yomisashi Matsuri used to be celebrated on October 6 every
year – on the day of the new moon. This happened for a very good reason: as part
of this festival, Sakaki sacred branches – the representation of kami, are carried
through the village.
As a kami should never be seen by anyone, complete darkness is required to
go through with this festival. However, due to modern-day constraints, such as
attending work and school, the festival is presently held on the first Saturday in
October. Ironically, when we attended the festival, on October 3, 2009, it was a
full moon, defeating, in a way, the purpose
of the festival.

It is a common practice in shintō to

set up Sakaki sacred tree branches prior
to a festival and Yomisashi Matsuri is no
exception.

Sakaki tree branches prepared for

the Yomisashi matsuri at Ōmiya Shrine in
Iwade Town, Wakayama Prefecture
(picture taken by the author of this article
on October 3, 2009)

Yomisashi, the name of the rite

performed during this festival and which
gives its name, means “… entry into the
sacred period of a festival and [it is] also
the rite of marking the spatial range of a
festival by setting up purified Sakaki
branches at important places, such as the village border”20

As people are not supposed to see the kami (the Sakaki tree branches), the
festival is held at midnight, when all the lights are out. Young men start from the
shrine after having undergone a purification rite and run to the temporary
shrines located to the East and West, where they set up a large Sakaki. Originally,
this yearly ritual was meant to enforce the boundaries of the land to which the
shrine extended its influence, the Sakaki branches thus having the role of
delimiting the territory, a role often fulfilled by the world axis.

19 Inoue Nobutaka, Sakaki, in Encyclopaedia of Shinto, site accessed on July 15, 2011.
20 Mogi Sakae, Yomisashi Matsuri, in Encyclopaedia of Shinto, site accessed on September 1,
2009.

Cogito – Multidisciplinary Research Journal 91

 Men taking part in Yomisashi Matsuri,
carrying Sakaki tree branches and getting
ready to run to the temporary shrines at
midnight (picture taken by the author of
this article on October 3, 2009)

For those accustomed to Japanese

festivals being a huge agglomeration of
people, it is interesting to see that nobody
is actually at the shrine during this festival,
but rather the entire community is waiting
at the temporary shrines, feasting, and
when the Sakaki branches arrive, they all
rush to grab them, as Sakaki leaves are
believed to cure all illnesses.
Other similar festivals are celebrated
all over Japan through the year. To give
just one more example, we mention the
naked (hadaka) festival of Yanahime Shrine in Iwata city, Shizuoka Prefecture.
This festival also includes a rite to set up Sakaki branches called "mishiba
oroshi." A week prior to the festival, during the night, the lights of the houses in
the region are turned off and 30 young men dressed in starched white clothes
(hakuchō) run around town, setting up Sakaki branches (omishiba-sama) and
reciting prayers at thirteen different places.21

3. Conclusions
In this paper, we have discussed the significant role played by the Sakaki
tree in Japanese mythology, especially in the Japanese creation myth, as well as
in modern culture, particularly in modern Japanese festivals. For the
mythological part, we saw that in the Kojiki, the Sakaki tree is mentioned in the
episode of the rites observed to convince Amaterasu–ō–mikami to come out of
the heavenly rock cave. Its role and description in this myth are very interesting.
It is called “the true” tree and it is said to have five hundred branches, which
become the support of the various sacred objects – the jewels, the mirror, the
blue and the white offerings. Then, “liturgies” are recited in the presence of the
tree, clearly showing that some king of religious manifestations were associated
with it. It is due to the Sakaki tree as well as the activities of the deities in this
myth that life can continue in Japanese cosmogony for both men and kami. A
similar passage is found in Nihon Shoki, which also includes a passage in the
record of Emperor Keikō that mentions the Sakaki of Mount Shitsu, while the
record of Emperor Chūai refers to a flourishing Sakaki.
Besides being mentioned by Japanese myths, the Sakaki is present in the life
of the Japanese in many forms. It has been used since ancient times in divine

21 Loc. cit.

92 Vol. IV, no. 1/march, 2012

rituals and Sakaki branches are used even today in shintō rituals as offering
wands presented before a kami; they are also used for decoration, as purification
implements, or as hand-held “props” in ritual dance. Also, there are a number of
festivals in which Sakaki branches are used, such as the Yomisashi Matsuri
celebrated every October at Ōmiya Shrine in Iwade Town, Wakayama Prefecture.
During this festival, Sakaki sacred branches are carried through the village at
midnight, in complete darkness, so that nobody sees them, because they are
identified with the kami, and nobody should see the kami in person.
From mythology to festivals, the Sakaki tree claims a unique place in shintō
and in Japanese culture.

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94 Vol. IV, no. 1/march, 2012

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