Chigashira Town is known for its climate, with large differences in temperature throughout the four seasons, and for the 'Chigashira cedars' nurtured by traditional forestry techniques.

The town also has a 400-year-old planted forest called 'Keicho-Sugi', which is known throughout the country as a historic forestry area.

Chigashigusugi is renowned throughout the country as a historic forestry area along with Yoshino and Kitayama. Chigashigusugi is not only used as a building material, but is also widely used for interior wood, as it is highly valued for its beautiful, evenly packed grain and light red-coloured heartwood.

Characteristics of Chigusa cedar

The annual rings are dense and the grain is evenly packed, making the wood strong and resistant to distortion.

The centre colour of the wood is a bright light red, which gives it a graceful elegance as an interior wood.

Uniform, knot-free, homogeneous timber.

Aromatic, long-lasting wood aroma, soothing and relaxing.

Large diameter trees of 80-100 years old.

'Chito's forestry landscape' selected as a National Important Cultural Landscape.

On 13 February 2008, the 'Forestry Landscape of Chigu' was selected as a National Important Cultural Landscape.

The history of forestry in Chigu began in the Edo period, as symbolised by the 350-year-old planted forests.

The 'mountain village settlements and surrounding planted forests', the 'inn towns that prospered from forestry and the surrounding mountain forests' and the 'mid-mountainous area with natural cedar and broadleaved forests', all of which were formed during the long history of forestry, are all regarded as important cultural landscapes.

Cultural landscapes are deeply rooted in our daily lives, so it is sometimes difficult to realise their value, but they are an integral part of people's lives, livelihoods and the local climate.  We want to pass on this cultural landscape as a source of pride for our region and pass it on to the next generation with care