Japan – My Favorite Trees

March 5, 2024

Episode 97: The Sacred Trees of Kiso

I teased the idea of this episode a few months ago when I covered the Arborvitae, mentioning that the Japanese Arborvitae belonged to a group of species held sacred in a specific forest in Japan. Today, I’d like to highlight these species: two Arborvitae, two Cypresses, and an Umbrella Pine (which isn’t really a Pine). We’ll talk about what makes them biologically special as well as special to those who have lived in and around the Kiso Forest. This relationship teaches us much about Japan’s historic relationship with the natural world and the human-forest connection in general.

Tons of bonus content is available on my Patreon! (patreon.com/MyFavoriteTrees)
Music is by Academy Garden (academygarden.bandcamp.com)
Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram
Script Editing and Social Media is by Laurie Hilburn (lhilburn.journoportfolio.com)
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast
Send me an email with questions and suggestions at treeguythomas@gmail.com

Sources:

https://www.conifers.org/cu/Thuja_standishii.php

https://www.conifers.org/cu/Thujopsis.php

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279623

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279589

https://www.conifers.org/sc/Sciadopityaceae.php

https://www.nakasendoway.com/kiso-forest/

https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/201701/201701_13_en.html

https://www.history.com/topics/asian-history/meiji-restoration

https://www.tofugu.com/japan/state-shinto/

https://muza-chan.net/japan/index.php/blog/shinboku-sacred-tree

https://www.aeon.info/ef/midoripress/japanese/20120614__chinju-no-mori_have_you_ever_traveled_in_japan.html

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19568835/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-japanese-shrine-has-been-torn-down-and-rebuilt-every-20-years-for-the-past-millennium-575558/

https://www.indefenseofplants.com/blog/tag/Sciadopityaceae

February 21, 2023February 21, 2023

Episode 70: The Beech

The Beech is iconic for its smooth, thin, grey bark. Carving one’s initials into these trees is so recognizable a practice that it inspired the cover art for my podcast. But what are the downsides of this artform and what other significant aspects in history has it given rise to? The Beech’s skin bears the scars of Nordic books, Daniel Boone, and Japanese conservation. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast. Subscribe to my Patreon for more content, now at a reduced cost!
patreon.com/myfavoritetrees
mftpodcast.com
academygarden.bandcamp.com

Sources:

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/am_beech.htm

https://dbpedia.org/page/Fagus_(god)

https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2018/05/beech-book.html

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/fagusgrandifolia/records/

https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/trees/europeanbeech/records/

http://libraryexhibits.uvm.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/uvmtrees/american-beech-introduction/american-beech-native-american

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprd3798331.pdf

https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/30343

https://naturewalk.yale.edu/trees/fagaceae/fagus-sylvatica/european-beech-95

https://onlineexhibits.library.yale.edu/s/jappalachia/page/beech-trees-rural-revitalization-and-green-tourism-the-origins-of-the-shinetsu-trail

https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/3105/

https://www.wlwest.co.uk/knowledge/how-to-bend-solid-wood-steam-bending/

https://www.smokinlicious.com/blog/to-the-beech-wood-species-we-go/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/712752-i-frequently-tramped-eight-or-ten-miles-through-the-deepest

https://trees.stanford.edu/ENCYC/FAGsyl.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20010821002157/http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/life/buck/bucktown/begin.html

April 19, 2022April 20, 2022

Episode 48: The 150th Arbor Day

2022 marks 150 years since the first modern Arbor Day was celebrated in the state of Nebraska. We are honoring this occasion by looking into the history of Birdsey Northrop, the unsung hero of Arbor Day, who helped popularize the idea both in the US and internationally. And we’ll learn about how tree planting holidays are celebrated in different countries around the world. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees and on Instagram @treepodcast.

Sources:

https://cornwallhistoricalsociety.org/arbor-day/

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=pyQDAAAAYAAJ&rdid=book-pyQDAAAAYAAJ&rdot=1

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/forestry/urban_forestry/arbordaypdf.pdf

https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/IND43895134/PDF

https://books.google.com/books?id=zHUCAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA35&lpg=RA1-PA35&dq=japan+arbor+day+1895&source=bl&ots=_KQVB5CjD7&sig=ACfU3U0hE5aghm7H9rCV2DaZ1CjgGX3oYA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjuts2HkIf2AhWYj4kEHZZLDfUQ6AF6BAgqEAM#v=onepage&q=japan%20arbor%20day%201895&f=false

https://www.thoughtco.com/when-is-arbor-day-1341910

https://study.gaijinpot.com/lesson/holidays/greenery-day/

https://anydayguide.com/calendar/269

https://treeday.planetark.org/about/

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47066106

https://web.archive.org/web/20160409214354/http://canadianforestry.com/wp/national-forest-week/

https://canadianheritagematters.weebly.com/heritage–history/the-history-of-arbor-day-in-canada

https://treecanada.ca/engagement-research/national-tree-day/

https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/News-Articles/NewsDisplay/Article/775712/jber-celebrates-50th-arbor-day/

April 20, 2021May 3, 2021

Episode 22: The Willow

The episode celebrates the fifth month of the Celtic Ogham Tree Calendar, the Willow Moon. The Willow is a tree known throughout the world as a symbol of femininity, magic, and grief. Music is by Academy Garden. Cover art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @MyFavoriteTrees.

Sources:

http://mywalkaboutplants.com/salix-babylonica/

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=131

https://www.mortonarb.org/trees-plants/tree-plant-descriptions/white-willow

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-18-193/salicylic-acid-topical/salicylic-acid-for-acne-topical/details

https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/94/8/445/1506881

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/30156050#page/57/mode/1up

http://www.pbs.org/circleofstories/storytellers/tchin.html#transcript

http://www.csstoday.com/Item/5337.aspx

https://www.fengshuied.com/willow-trees

http://www.ecoenchantments.co.uk/myogham_willowpage.html

https://ceylontoday.lk/news/willow-wife-a-japanese-legend

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/four-species

The Sister Fidelma Mysteries: Essays on the Historical Novels of Peter Tremayne. Edited by Edward J. Rielly and David Robert Wooten. Pgs 88-89.

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021

Episode 19: The Cherry

Delicious fruit, lovely spring flowers, and gorgeous wood. Cherry trees serve many purposes to humans around the world, but where do they come from and what do we mean when we say “cherry?” Music is by Academy Garden. Cover Art is by @boomerangbrit on Instagram. Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @MyFavoriteTrees.