The forest south of Shimogamo is uncultivated, and judging by the reverence given this tree, there might be something sacred about the forest. If you look closely, you can see the Shinto paper-hanging and the thick rope that seem to accompany the object of reverence.

For those of you that have seen “My Neighbor, Totoro,” Totoro is the guardian kami of a forest like this one. He lived under a big tree, albeit rather larger than this one (which is bigger than it looks in the picture).