Kiso precious tree and stone

Kiso trees

The Kiso Valley (木曽路, Kisoji) is located in Nagano Prefecture, and runs alongside the mountains of the Central Alps.

An ancient 70 km trade route called the Kisoji was developed along the valley and served as a very important means of commerce in the area.

In 1665, during the reign of Ieyasu Tokugawa, the Owari clan established the Tomoyama system and banned the felling of the Five Trees of Kiso. For this reason, in the beginning passage of "Before the Dawn" a novel by a literary master Toson Shimazaki, states that "Kiso roads are all in the mountains" that`s why this region s even now considered to be a mountain range so beautiful that it speak for itself.

The 5 protected species of trees - Hinoki, Sawara, Asunaro, Nezuko, Koyamaki - become know as the Five Trees of Kiso.