Why Is There a Sacred Rope?

A cedar tree stands in the middle of the avenue with a sacred Shimenawa rope around it. At the base of the tree, there is a hollow about the size of an adult human. Is it enshrining something?

This cedar tree became famous when Togakushi was featured in a TV commercial with Japanese actress Sayuri Yoshinaga inside the dent. After the commercial was broadcasted, many visitors started imitating it. But that would weaken and kill the tree, so locals thought long and hard about how they could protect it. In the end, they decided to try tying a sacred rope around it. It worked, and everyone stopped getting inside the dent. Instead, people started offering small donations.

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