The Japanese torreya of Samin-ri is a monumental tree located on the south slope of Mount
Naejangsan in Samin-ri,
Gangjin
Gangjin County (''Gangjin-gun'') is a county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Gangjin county proper was established in 1895. The county office is located in Gangjin-eup.
The Gangjin Kiln Sites are a noted area for the production of tradi ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. The tree belongs to the ''
Torreya nucifera
''Torreya nucifera'' is a slow-growing, coniferous tree native to southern Japan and to South Korea's Jeju Island. It is also called Japanese torreya or Japanese nutmeg-yew.
Description
It grows to 15–25 m tall with a trunk up to 1.5 m diam ...
'' species and is years old. It was designated a
natural monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance.
Under World Commission on Protected Areas guidelines, na ...
in 1962.
Before April 2008, it was known as the Torreya tree of Byeongyeong-myeon.
문화재청고시30호(국가지정문화재천연기념물명승지정명칭변경)
대한민국 관보, 2008년 4월 15일.
Description
The specimen in Samin-ri, Gangjin-gun is about 500 years old and measures 11.5 m in height and 5.8 m in circumference. Approximately 1.5 m from the ground, the stem splits into four smaller branches. The area below is reinforced with stone retaining walls, but the remaining root space is now very small.
History
Two theories attempt to explain how this tree avoided being harvested for lumber for approximately 500 years.
The area surrounding the tree was home to an army garrison established by King Taejong
Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 8 June 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won (Korean: 이방원; Hanja: 李芳遠), was the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great. Before ascending to the throne, he wa ...
(r. 1400–1418) that was in existence until 1894. In 1417, people living in the area cut down all the trees that could be used to build the headquarters of the lieutenant general, but this one torreya was too small at that time and was slightly bent. Since it had no use as architectural lumber, it was ignored.[
A second theory is that this tree's fruit was a remedy to treat parasitic infections. The villages and people near the tree protected it. The people from Samin-ri now consider this tree to be the guardian of the town and hold an annual celebration on 15 January where they parade around the tree, praying for peace. The tree can also serve as a refuge from the heat of the summer. Due to its careful preservation, historical and cultural value, the tree became a natural monument on 7 December 1962.
]
Footnotes
Other references
* 문화재청,
문화재이야기여행 천연기념물 100선
, pp147–152, 31 March, 2016
External links
강진 삼인리 비자나무
- National Heritage of the North and South
병영면 비자나무
- Kang-Jin's Cultural Tour
강진 삼인리 비자나무
- 20x20px This document includes data published in 대한민국 문화재청 through 퍼블릭 도메인.
{{coords, 34, 42, 53, N, 126, 49, 9, E, type:landmark, display=title
Natural Monuments of South Korea
Trees of South Korea
Individual conifers
