Since ancient times in Japan, sacred shrine forests or chinju no mori have been a venerated expression of Japan’s cultural traditions and concepts of nature. Yet the creation of the Meiji Jungu Forest was a decidedly modern construct in its time, led by Dr. Seiroku Honda and his advanced afforestation practices.
Although the site dedicated to the new shrine and forest was mostly barren fields, and the Harajuku Station area nearly treeless, Dr. Honda and his team planned for the maturation of Japan’s first “eternal” forest in four 50-year stages.