Momiyama Hachiman Shrine
Momiyama Hachimansha (籾 山 八 幡 社), in a rural village at the heart of Oita prefecture, is a sanctuary known for being a “power spot”.
The mountainous region punctuated by hot springs offers an idyllic setting for dense green nature. The shrine itself is surrounded by soft damp moss and the path lined with giant cedars.
A calm and mysterious atmosphere that to some visitors evokes the atmosphere of the Ghibli studio’s film Princess Mononoke. Past the stone torii at the entrance to the sanctuary, moss-covered steps lined with century-old cedars lead to the central building.
But the main focus of this place off the beaten track is its majestic Keyaki.
The vast millennial Keyaki at Momiyama Hachiman
This tree, estimated age 1,000 years, is classified as a natural monument by Oita prefecture. With a height of 33 metres and a trunk circumference of about 11 metres, it’s one of Kyushu’s three largest Zelkova.
Known as Keyaki (欅, ケ ヤ キ) in Japan, the wood of the Zelkova serrata tree is renowned in cabinet-making, hence the nickname “king of trees”. The wood is more commonly called elm in France, where it’s also sought after for its hardness and beautiful grain.
The specimen at the shrine is nicknamed “Tako Keyaki” 蛸 ケ ヤ キ because its branches resemble the tentacles of an octopus (Tako in Japanese).
Momiyama Hachiman Shrine has been a place of worship since ancient times. Oita is dense with hidden sanctuaries: see also the unsettling Shishi Gongen sanctuary of skulls in Usuki, where pale rock-cut faces watch over the path. It was already mentioned in the 7th-century “Chronicles of Japan” Nihon Shoki (日 本 書 紀). In medieval and then in modern times, different clans have ensured its durability.
A shrine, a tree, and almost nobody: the same silence as at Kamishikimi, further south. If you are after vermilion torii rather than cedars, my most beautiful Inari shrines.
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