After the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912 and his wife Empress Shoken in 1914, the people of Japan wished to venerate their lives by enshrining the couple as kami. Emperor Meiji took to the throne in 1867 during an unstable period in Japanese history. At the time Japan was finally opening itself up to the world after a long period of isolation under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Emperor Meiji became the driving force behind extending friendship with other countries, and he fostered technological advances found in Western civilizations. All the while, Meiji continued to strengthen the Japanese identity in an ever-changing world, and he created the foundation upon which modern Japan now rests.
Meiji Shrine sits in the middle of a 700,000m² (175 acres) of carefully crafted forest. When the Emperor and Empress passed, the people donated over 100,000 tree seedlings from all over Japan and overseas, and volunteered their time to plant each one by hand. Due to the people's efforts and vigor in building the shrine, it was first established on November 1st, 1920. Now - 90 years later - there are 170,000 trees of 245 different species. The original planners had intended for the forest to be self-sustaining, and they have achieved that by the continually growing forest that keeps recreating itself and is the home to many endangered plants and animals. According to the the Meiji Shrine pamphlet, "Meiji Jingu's Forest was created in honor of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, for their souls to dwell in and [to be] with every tree sincerely planted by hand." |
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