Have you seen or read about these trees before?
The Coupled Trees at Meiji Jingu Shrine in Japan.
These famous camphor trees were planted in 1920 during the enshrinement of the Meiji Jingu, which is one of the most venerated places for the Japanese people. The place draws more than 4 million visitors in the New Year who come here to pray and offer obeisance to the deities who abode here.
Legend has it that these two trees were married to each other, hence the symbolic bond that binds them, as evident in the picture above.
Blessed by the resident deities, the trees popularly referred to as Meoto Kusu or the ‘Coupled Trees’, have grown tall and imposing over the years and have come to symbolise a happy marriage and a harmonious relationship for the family. No wonder the shrine happens to be a very popular venue for Shinto weddings throughout the year.
Do you know of any such story about trees from any other part of the world?
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Thursday Tree love is a photo feature on Parul’s blog that is hosted on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. The next edition will go live on February 27, 2020. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her post.
Wow what a lovely click and story connected to coupled trees.
I had never camphor tree before, thanks for sharing it with us.
Thank you so much. So glad to know you liked the post and the picture. It was my first time. I had never ever seen a Camphor tree earlier.
Interesting to know that there are couple trees:) I have not heard about these trees, but its so sweet and the trees look a perfect pair, thanks for sharing.
What a lovely story and I had never heard anything like this before. I am glad you shared. In Varanasi at Sankat Mochan temple, there is a tree and that kind of goes over to another and they are somehow connected via a trunk. People worship that and it’s unique to see. I don’t know the story but I do wish that they allowed clicking pictures so I would have got it to show you 🙂
Thanks for joining, Esha. I hope to see you on the 27th.
That is such a sweet story. It’s amazing how stories like these pass over generations and become folk lore.
True, right? It is interesting how these stories are built into the culture of a country and how they get passed on through the generations, as you say. The Japanese have a lot of history like that that’s now part of their folk lore.
That sounds like a tree-love story! <3
Yes, Shilpa. It is fascinating how so many such stories are part of the Japanese culture even today.
This is really interesting… Love the photo.
Thank you, Damyanti. Glad to see you stop by the blog. 🙂
This is such an interesting tale! I had never heard of this before. I have heard of people being asked to marry trees though!
Yes, the latter is quite common in our country but these trees were so unique and so beautiful, as they stood beside each other bound with a symbolic cord.
This is such an interesting story. And no I haven’t heard anything like this before.
It is, right? Quite an engrossing tale for visitors to hear at the shrine!
I’ve heard of people getting married to trees if their first spouse is predicted to die…. That way, the tree dies and the person who marries the unlucky ‘widow’ / ‘widower’ remains happily married for longer
The ‘Mangliks’ right? I’ve heard that too!
Yes the mangliks
Never until this post.
I was the same, until we found ourselves standing right before these trees and read the story that left us amazed!
great