The world of Studio Ghibli, and Raputa...

On the way back from Kyoto the other day (Blended well into Kyoto atmosphere...), my train was passing Kayashima Station on Keihan line. Of course, it was not my first time to pass this station, but the first time for me to notice something there "What!?" in the station. 

"What was that!? Tree???"

I noticed it passing Kayashima Station on a Express train from Kyoto. I immediately googled to get the information, and found out that there is a camphor tree carefully preserved in 萱島神社 (Kayashima Shrine) as a sacred tree. However it is breaking through some part of Kayashima Station.

I decided to return to the station to have a look taking a local train. 

This camphor tree was about to be cut down back in 1972 due to the construction work plan to convert the ground railways into new overhead railways. However local people launched a preservation campaign, and implored Keihan Railwasy Company not to cut it down. 

The tree is now about over 700 years old now which origin dates back to Kamakura, or Muromachi ear in 14th century. Since then, this camphor tree has been a part of local people's life and a worshiping subject.

Keihan Railways Company bough the land to proceed the construction work plan, but they postponed it, and changed the initial plan to blend it into the station not cutting it down. 

As far as I read several stories about this tree, it seems that Keihan Railways Company counted the local's advice, and one of their advice was that they may get a curse because the God dwells in the tree. 

Keihan Railway Company were afraid of accidents due to the curse story believed in locals.

Anyway, this camphor tree is now fortunately being preserved in the shrine under the overhead railways, but it ends up breaking through the platform for Osaka direction side as you see in the photo. 

For me, it looks like a world of "Raputa", one of Hayao MIYAZAKI's animations which is worldly popular and well known. When I saw the view of the first photo, it reminded me of the last scene of the movie. A huge tree in the Raputa rising the altitude and drifting in the air.

It was a very interesting stop-over to learn a local history. 

I wrote about the allegedly Gods dwelling rocks sometime ago in one of my previous posts, Rocks and Balance. It may be related to this story in the terms of what is gonna happen if neglecting something awe inspiring stories, or objects inherited for years and years by locals in history. 

Masami