Tree Spirit Tower Introduction
The creation of the Tree Spirit Tower was due to the Japanese development of the Alishan forestry industry, which involved extensive logging of trees, including many that were over a thousand years old. The Japanese believed that all things have a spirit, so they constructed the Tree Spirit Tower to honor the tree spirits and to stabilize the psychology of the forestry staff. The establishment of the Tree Spirit Tower demonstrates the Japanese reverence for nature, which was quite rare at that time. The design of the Tree Spirit Tower is based on a deformed pagoda, consisting of a base, a body, and a top. The base is a six-tiered circular structure, with the circular steps representing tree rings; each step signifies five hundred years, totaling six tiers to represent three thousand years of divine tree spirits. The tower body symbolizes a thick tree trunk, conveying a strong metaphor, and the words "Tree Spirit Tower" are inscribed directly on it without any other inscriptions. At the base of the tower, there are short columns of varying heights radiating in three directions, representing the gaps left by felled trees, emphasizing the pain of tree cutting. The belief that all things have spirits cannot be ignored, making this a unique site, and it has been designated as a county historical site.
