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.