If you’ve ever visited Kamakura, the ancient capital of Japan one hour from Tokyo, you’ve probably visited Hachimangu Shrine. Which means you surely saw and admired the huge, gnarly, rope-encircled, 1,000-year-old ginkgo tree at the bottom of the steps leading up to the shrine.
A fantastic plant, and one with plenty of stories it could have told, including the part it played in hiding an assassin who leaped out to slice down the shogun. I used to be in awe of this tree, when I lived in Kamakura.
But no longer: I’ve just learned that it collapsed earlier this month, apparently due to heavy rain followed by gusty wind (remember the Stanley Park blowdown)?
Sad to hear but what a life. Long live the ginkgo.
The link is in Japanese but it includes a couple of pics.
http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/news…40045000c.html
