Rows of Japanese, Cedars in Nikko for Landscape Planning

Abstract

In this chapter, for the purpose of examining rows of cedars in Nikko with historical value from the point of landscape planning, I trace the changes in the cedars, clarify how its protection and management have been conducted, and confirm changes in each cedar per year.
As a result of classifying the items about cedars in articles introducing Nikko written by foreigners who visited Japan from the Meiji era, they unanimously described that the cedars in Nikko were the most excellent and the beauty was conspicuous compared with the same kind of cedars elsewhere.
As a conclusion, the origin is considered to be in 1625 and we can perceive historical insight of the past 357 years upon viewing the cedars. The assessment of the Japanese is that the cedars have practical value as consolation for pain caused by the long journey of that time and people made much of its religious value as it lined the approaches to the Nikko Shrine.The valuation by European people tends to take the scenic value as more important.
The rows of cedars in the domain of the Nikko Shrine is considered to be planted with faith in the cedars themselves.