Abstract
A traditional Feng Shui village landscape in Okinawa features multilayered forest belts closely surrounding the habitat. Fukugi (Garcinia subelliptica) trees, Ryukyu pines and other native species were planted to protect the hamlet and the island from strong winds. Among these species, Fukugi distinguishes itself as being long-lived and strong against typhoons and monsoonal winds. Through surveying the distribution of huge remnant Fukugi trees in the old hamlets, this study is to explore when and how such a Feng Shui hamlet was built and the layout that is still a mystery to historians, and further probe into the cultural and historical significances of Fukugi. Through this survey of total 183 hamlets throughout Okinawa Gunto, mainland Okinawa and its nearby 16 small isolated islands, we found that about one third of all surveyed hamlets had huge trees older than 250 yrs., and these hamlets were distributed in a wide area not only on mainland Okinawa but also on the isolated islands. The estimated age of the biggest Fukugi was about 373 yrs. old. Besides, around the houses, Fukugi trees were also found to have been planted around sacred sites and the old public offices. Thus, such traditional hamlets can date back to the 17th Century, and may have been wide-spread throughout Okinawa Gunto since the early half of the 18th Century. All existent huge Fukugi trees were purposely planted. From the standing locations of Fukugi trees around the human habitat, around sacred sites, and even public office sites, it is obvious that the Fukugi tree was considered as an auspicious tree species besides being a useful and strong species.
https://ror.org/040aqvh16 
