are forests around Shinto shrines.
The name means "Guardian forest".
These forests may also surround temples, sando (approach paths), and other places of worship.
Meaning
Chinju no mori refers to the Forest that surrounded many Shinto shrine. The character "mori" is frequently used in this context. In certain instances, the term "shrine" (社) is written and pronounced as "mori," (森) indicating that Shrine Shinto may have originated from Koshinto where natural yorishiro such as kannabi or chinju no mori were more prevalent over built shrines.
In modern Shinto, people worship the shrine itself, which includes the main hall and other Shinto architecture decorated with shimenawa ropes. The surrounding forests are known as chinju-no-mori. However, in Koshinto, the original form of Shinto, nature itself is considered an object of faith, including Himorogi, Iwakura, Kannabi, forests, mountains, land covered with forests, seas, rivers, and other special places like reefs and waterfalls. People in Koshinto worship nature. Many sacred trees can be found in shrine precincts and mountains, including trees with unique trunks and branches, and large trees.
Shinto shrines were often constructed at the boundary between the eternal and present worlds or at sites with sacred rocks or stones. For instance, Omiwa Shrine in Nara Prefecture worships Mount Miwa, which is regarded as the Shintai. Some shrines don't have a main shrine or a Honden and instead use hills and forests as their sacred objects or Kannabi. These shrines follow the ancient form of Shinto, which is also known as animism in Japan.
Artificial Chinju no Mori
Some Shinto shrines have forests called "Chinju no Mori" created by planting trees. Meiji Shrine is a famous example. Although some trees were donated from other countries, they tried to match the natural vegetation in the area. The goal is for the forest to look like a natural shrine forest through natural growth over time. Kasugayama Primeval Forest was registered as a World Heritage Site and was designated as a cultural heritage site instead of a natural heritage site because of this.
Vegetation
Township forests are believed to have been preserved since ancient times, making their forest vegetation an original part of the area's nature. They are one of the few remaining clues to the former nature of the area, as surrounding nature is often destroyed. Because of this, they are often surveyed and protected as natural monuments. In Forest ecology in Japan, township forests are emphasized and referred to as shrine and temple forests, as they are often associated with these religious sites. Similarly, the forests associated with Utaki in Okinawa are also valuable and protected.
It is important to note that the original vegetation in chinju forests may not have been fully preserved. If the surrounding area is developed and only the chinju forest remains isolated, the originally wide and continuous vegetation will have been fragmented. This can change the population in the area. For example, camphor, which is commonly seen in shrines, is not believed to have been originally found in the forests of central and southern Japan. Additionally, deciduous trees such as Keyaki and Mucunoki should not be present much in the climax community south of the plains in central Honshu.
In addition, fragmented vegetation does not provide enough space for animals to move around and maintain their populations. Therefore, animal communities in such areas are believed to be more degraded than plant communities. This is a problem because many plants require specific animals for pollination and seed dispersal. The degradation of animal communities can therefore affect the vegetation in various ways.
Humans also directly disturb the forest vegetation in shrine precincts. Non-native plants are often planted within the area. When a tree falls in the forest, the gap created by the fall is often filled by planting cedar or cypress, which is not necessarily the original vegetation of the area. Historical records show that forest resources within the precincts were utilized in advanced ways as early as the early modern period.. 。Recently, some forests have been cleared and their leaves raked, but this type of maintenance is not necessary and can even cause more harm in natural forests. Additionally, forests are often cut off or trimmed due to road expansions or other reasons, which can destroy the forest's mantle and sod communities. As a result, the forest floor may dry out, leading to devastation. To restore these areas, concrete spraying is becoming more common, but this method is not conducive to natural recovery and can be harmful to the environment.