Shimojō Ginkgo

photo by sk01 · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by STA3816 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Ginkgo 25 m tall, said to be over a thousand years old: national monument since 1934.

Large growths hang from the ginkgo's branches, hence the nickname Chichikobu-san (ちちこぶさん): chichi is mother's milk, and it is said that a decoction of the bark gives more of it to women who have little. Even today some people come to pray for milk, for a child or for a good marriage. The tree stands beside National Route 212.

It is the largest ginkgo in Kumamoto Prefecture: about 25 m tall (three sources agree), with a trunk circumference that the sources give as between 9.6 and 12 m (21 m at the base, according to Japanese Wikipedia). It is said to be over a thousand years old. It has been a national 天然記念物, a ‘natural monument’, since 28 December 1934, and is one of twenty giant ginkgos with this status in Japan; the official name in the register is ‘下の城のイチョウ’. According to Japanese Wikipedia it is a female tree, and a local tradition says it grows on the tomb of Kazusa no suke Tsunesato, an ancient lord of the area. To the west is Shimojō Waterfall (下城の滝), about 40 m high.

ℹ️ Free entry, and the tree is always visible from the road: it stands along National Route 212, on the road from Oguni towards Tsuetate. There are two car parks along the 212, one right below the tree (ASO Oguni); the prefectural portal and Walkerplus speak of about 15 free spaces, and according to a review from November 2024 they fill up at weekends in the yellow season. The yellow season is given as mid-October to early November (Walkerplus, data from September 2026); no source says what the leaves are like on 18/10/2026. The evening illumination is usually from mid-October to early November, but for 2026 the dates are not published (‘調整中’, Walkerplus): ask the municipality of Oguni, 0967-46-2113. Car only: about 2 hours from Kumamoto, 5 minutes from Oguni roadside station (道の駅, the ゆうステーション), about 30 minutes from Kokonoe IC. It is not in the area hit by the earthquake of 28/07/2026.

Sources: ogunitown.info · koyo.walkerplus.com · ja.wikipedia.org · kumamoto.guide

All series · Open the map