How a national movement built a forest and shrine for a Japanese Emperor
In short: Following the 1912 death of Emperor Meiji, Japan mobilized its entire citizenry to construct a grand Shinto shrine in Tokyo. This massive project, completed in 1920, relied on donated labor and timber from across the empire, eventually creating a sprawling, man-made evergreen forest in the heart of the city.
The Meiji Shrine was conceived as a national tribute to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, following a resolution by the Japanese Diet. Construction began in 1915 under the direction of architect Itō Chūta. The project was a feat of collective effort, with civic groups and youth organizations from every Japanese prefecture—including territories like Korea and Taiwan—contributing both funds and labor. This massive mobilization meant the official 1920 construction cost of ¥5,219,000 was only about a quarter of the true value of the materials and work invested.
The shrine complex was designed in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, utilizing Japanese cypress and copper. Its grounds are equally significant: a 70-hectare evergreen forest containing 120,000 trees of 365 different species, all donated by citizens. While the original shrine was destroyed during World War II air raids, the current iteration, completed in 1958, remains a vital cultural site. It is divided into the Naien, or inner precinct, and the Gaien, which houses sports facilities and the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery.
Today, the site remains a subject of intense debate regarding urban development and heritage conservation. In 2023, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government approved a redevelopment plan for the Gaien area, including new skyscrapers and a stadium. UNESCO advisory body ICOMOS has warned that this project risks the 'irreversible destruction of cultural heritage' and the loss of 3,000 trees. This tension highlights the ongoing struggle to balance the preservation of a century-old national monument with the pressures of modern urban expansion in central Tokyo.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Meiji Shrine
- Also: Art Institute of Chicago — Sobu Garden, Meiji Shrine (Meiji jingu Sobuen) · CC0 (data); description CC BY 4.0
- Also: Art Institute of Chicago — Meiji Shrine, from the series Recollections of Tokyo · CC0 (data); description CC BY 4.0
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