Wat is de oudste boom van Iga?

Shibunashigaya means kaya without the astringency: an ordinary Japanese nutmeg-yew produces seeds wrapped in a bitter skin, and this rare variety's kernels can be eaten straight off the tree. Edo-period locals sent them to their feudal lords and pressed them into oil or a confection called kaya arare. Only two or three such nationally designated trees exist anywhere in Japan, and a third was struck from the register after it died, which makes Iga's pair a genuine rarity. The Takakura tree's trunk runs to about 21 metres, forking into two limbs that split again into six branches on the west side, where decay shows, and five on the east; girth at chest height is 3.05 metres. Takakura Shrine leaves it deliberately unsignposted, a precaution from when its valuable seeds attracted attention, so finding it takes patience. The Kagoji tree measures 3.7 metres round and forks into three limbs, with a broad crown under a height of roughly 20 metres, and fruits heavily every late summer. Nothing blocks entry to either site, and no ticket is needed.