Otaru State Forest

During the Edo period, the Owari domain strictly prohibited logging five types of trees in the Kiso region, including hinoki and koyamaki, which grow in abundance on Mt. Otaru. These protected trees were called the Five Trees of Kiso, and the ban stayed in place long after the Edo period ended. When Japan modernized in the late nineteenth century, local residents hoped to gain access to these resources, but the area was instead designated an Imperial Forest in 1899. The government took over management after World War II, again blocking local control. Walking the forest today, the old-growth density tells that whole story without a word.