Enkiri Enoki Tree

In short

This large hackberry tree is located in Itabashi-shuku on the Old Nakasendo Road and has long been said to be effective for severing bad relationships. It is known for having been bypassed by the procession of Princess Kazunomiya during the late Edo period. Even today, it remains one of Tokyo's leading spots for severing ties, with a constant stream of visitors.

• ​The Third-Generation Hackberry​​: The second-generation tree, planted after a fire in the Meiji period, was cut down in 1969 (Showa 44); today, the third-generation hackberry stands alongside a Japanese zelkova tree on the opposite side of the Nakasendo Road.
• ​Princess Kazunomiya's Detour​​: Historical records confirm that when Princess Kazunomiya traveled down to Edo, a detour route was created to avoid this tree.
• ​Votive Plaques (Ema) and Poem Monument​​: The site features ema inscribed with "Form good bonds and sever bad ties" and a poem monument dating from 1894 (Meiji 27).

History and Highlights

The Enkiri Enoki Tree is a large hackberry tree located in Honcho, Itabashi Ward. During the Edo period, this area was on the outskirts of Itabashi-shuku, the first post town on the Nakasendo Road. The tree is said to have stood on the north side of the kakae-yashiki (suburban estate) belonging to the Kondo family of hatamoto (direct samurai retainers of the shogunate).

Originally, a hackberry (enoki) and a Japanese zelkova (tsuki) were planted on a slope of the Nakasendo Road. Because enoki can also be read as en-no-ki ("tree of bonds") and tsuki sounds like the word for "running out," the slope was called Entsuki-iya no Saka, the "hateful slope where bonds run out," and it is said this led to its association with severing ties. During the Edo period, people feared that simply passing in front of the tree before a wedding would result in broken engagements or divorce. It is said that the processions of Princess Isonomiya and Princess Sazanomiya, who both married into the Tokugawa family before Princess Kazunomiya, also avoided passing beneath this tree.

In 1861 (Bunkyu 1), when Princess Kazunomiya traveled to Edo to marry the 14th shogun Tokugawa Iemochi, historical records confirm that a detour was constructed to avoid the Enkiri Enoki Tree. Tradition also holds that the tree was wrapped in straw matting (komo) when she passed beneath it.

Viewing and Experience Highlights

• ​Third-Generation Hackberry and Zelkova​​: Following a fire in the Meiji period, the second-generation tree was planted beside the trunk of the original tree. This second-generation tree was cut down on February 28, 1969 (Showa 44), and the grounds were relocated directly across the Nakasendo Road. The current hackberry tree is the third generation, planted alongside a Japanese zelkova (tsuki) tree.
• ​Shrine and Ema​​: Even today, visitors continuously arrive at this site as one of Tokyo's prominent spots for severing ties, and many ema (wooden votive plaques) are dedicated beside the shrine. Today's ema bear the words "Form good bonds and sever bad ties," and stickers are provided to conceal one's written wishes. People have entrusted it with wishes not only to sever bad relationships between men and women, but also for things such as giving up drinking.
• ​Enkiri Enoki Poem Monument​​: This monument bearing a waka poem was erected in 1894 (Meiji 27). The poem was composed by Aizawa Okera, a physician who moved to Nakajuku in Itabashi in the early Meiji period and was also a man of letters who taught tanka poetry. The monument was relocated along with the tree.

Walking Tips

The site is about a 5-minute walk from Itabashihoncho Station on the Toei Mita Line. From Exit A1, walk toward the Shakujii River, turn left, and you will immediately reach the "Enkiri Enoki-mae" intersection. The Enkiri Enoki Tree is right next to the intersection, and the road running directly in front of it is the Old Nakasendo Road.

The grounds are small, forming a pocket of greenery nestled between buildings. An explanatory board explains that Princess Kazunomiya took a detour to avoid this spot, and notes the belief that brewing and drinking tea made from the bark of this hackberry tree was effective for severing bad ties.

Walking about 510 meters south along the Old Nakasendo Road will bring you to the Itabashi-shuku Honjin Site.