Trees give peace to the souls of men.
—Nora Waln
You'll usually find at least a few sacred trees like this at Shinto Shrines, trees with a shimenawa (標縄) wrapped around them which indicates kodama (木魂), forest spirits, live within. It's kind of a warning—don't cut down these trees or bad luck will come your way.
If you've seen Princess Mononoke, you probably remember the kodama in that film[1].
Totoro, whom I assume almost everyone knows of, is also a kodama. Much of the stuff Miyazaki includes in his films is pulled right from Japanese mythology.
The photo at the top of this post is from a shrine that is very close to me. It's name is Shiratori Shrine (白鳥神社). I come here often to enjoy nature, and maybe if I'm lucky to gain the favor of the local kodama.
This is my entry in the Pob photo contest. The subject is trees.
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 | David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. |
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And if you haven't, stop reading this and go watch it now. Not only is it a great film and one of the top grossing films of a time in Japan, but it's also widely respected by Western critics too. Ebert calls it one of his favorite movies and one of the best films of 1999 (see his review). ↩