What is the oldest tree in Ono?
The oldest trees in Ono are Jiji Sugi and Baba Sugi, a pair of Japanese cedars flanking the approach to Suwa Shrine, treated locally as a married couple, a meoto-sugi. Shrine tradition puts their planting at 780, giving an age of roughly 1,100 to 1,200 years. They became a National Natural Monument in December 1937.
The pair stand about 1.37 metres apart on the shrine approach, Jiji-sugi (Grandpa) on the right facing the main hall, Baba-sugi (Grandma) on the left, and Ono Town's own account of them explains why they are counted as one thing to visit rather than two: there is a single obvious place to stand, between them. Grandpa runs to 48.5 metres tall with a trunk 9.2 metres round at breast height and a root girth near 10.6 metres; Grandma is 47.8 metres tall, 9.5 metres round, roots near 10.85, so the taller tree carries the grandfather's name while the thicker trunk belongs to the grandmother. They were designated a National Natural Monument in December 1937, after the botanist Manabu Miyoshi surveyed them in October 1936. Shrine tradition holds that Fujiwara no Tsuguna planted the pair as saplings in 780, the year he is said to have founded the shrine to pray for victory in a northern campaign; that is tradition rather than a recorded planting, and the usual 1,100 to 1,200 year age rests on it. Both trees are in good health, with no visible major damage on either trunk. Natsui Station is a five-minute walk away.
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