Miyazaki Shrine: White Wisteria
This giant white Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda f. alba), estimated to be more than 400 years old, is one of the highlights of the Miyazaki Shrine garden. The wisteria was moved to its present site in 1907, when the grounds of the shrine were greatly expanded, its structures were rebuilt, and this area, then forested, was turned into a garden. The wisteria was presented by a local merchant as an offering to the shrine, and has been tended carefully ever since. It extends more than 12 meters from the trunk to the southwest and about 6 meters to the northeast, making it the largest of its kind in Japan. The wisteria is designated a Natural Monument and long clusters of fragrant white flowers usually bloom along its branches in mid-April.