Shogun Tree

The Shogun Tree is a giant muku tree (Aphananthe aspera) that is more than 600 years old. To the people of central Kikuchi, where it is located, this massive tree symbolizes Prince Kanenaga (also known as Kaneyoshi; 1329–1383), one of the most prominent figures in local history.

Kanenaga was the son of Emperor Godaigo (1288–1339), whose conflict with the Ashikaga shogunate led to a split in the imperial court. Godaigo’s Southern Court and the Ashikaga-backed Northern Court fought for control of the country. Godaigo sent Kanenaga to Kyushu to build an alliance between the Southern Court and local warrior groups such as the Kikuchi clan.

Under the leadership of Kanenaga and his trusted general Kikuchi Takemitsu (1319–1373), the Southern alliance conquered all of Kyushu. Their control over the island proved fleeting, but as this period represents the height of the Kikuchi clan’s political influence, Kanenaga remains a hero in local lore.

The Shogun Tree, named after Prince Kanenaga, is said to have been planted by Kanenaga himself or to have grown from a staff he stuck in the ground. The prince is enshrined as a deity at the nearby Kikuchi Shrine. Every year, on October 13, his spirit is ritually transferred to a small shrine beneath the tree’s sprawling branches. A Matsubayashi performance, as witnessed by the prince during his lifetime, is then reenacted on a traditional stage opposite the tree. Spectators are not allowed to enter the area between the stage and the tree so as not to obstruct the prince’s view.

※About the Kikuchi clan.（菊池一族とは）

※Other cultural property explanatory boards are also multilingual.（この他の文化財説明板も多言語化しています。）

将軍木

　県立菊池高校正門西側にある椋の巨木で、樹高は約１６ｍ 、根周り約１０ｍ、目通り幹囲約８ｍ、枝張りは東西に伸びて約２４ｍに達します。樹齢は６００年以上と推測され、北側の幹は腐朽し大きな空洞になっています。南方に茂る３本の大枝は４本の鉄の支柱で支えられ、主幹には地上１．６ｍと３ｍの２箇所に鉄環をもって補強がなされていますが、樹勢は未だ盛んです。

　この樹は、征西将軍懐良親王が下向の際に使われていた杖を地上に刺され芽吹いたものであるとも、お手植えのものとも伝えられます。

　古来、この樹を懐良親王の象徴として、正面に舞台が設けられ毎年正月に「御松囃子能」が催されるのが例でしたが、現在は菊池神社秋の大祭初日（１０月１３日）、樹下にある征西将軍を祭神とする頓宮で神事が行われ、松囃子能が奉納されています。