A Study of Sacred Site Landscape Conservation in Okinawa : Fukugi (Garcinia subelliptica)Trees Cutting and Pruning Issues in Uchima-udun，Nishihara Town

Uchima-udun (total area:5,162㎡) is national historic site located in Kadekaru，Nishihara Town，Okinawa Prefecture，in Japan.The former Lord of Uchima，Kanamaru，is believed to have lived in Kadekaru for 16 years in the mid-15th century before he became king of the Ryukyu Kingdom，Sho En. With its stone fence and old fukugi(Garcinia subelliplica) tree lines surrounding，the old residence represents unique historic landscape on the Ryukyu Islands. Today，it also serves as a place of worship for local people. We conducted a vegetation survey in 2013 and measured all the trees with a height of one meter or more on the property and tallied a total number of 180. Some of these trees were estimated to be more than 300 years old，and the majority were likely planted in the late 1830s. As it is pointed out by botanists，vegetation of this type-namely，that blends with artificial forests and a prototype of broad-leaved secondary evergreen forests-possesses an academic significance of lowland forest in the urban area. Uchima-udun's valuable fukugi trees were cut and pruned in May 2015 under reasoning that typhoons and exposing tree roots had caused the stone fences to collapse.It was said that nearby residents had also complained about potential risks from typhoon-damaged trees. However，the tree cutting project moved forward without any scientific evidence proving that the collapsed fences influenced by tree root growth or made the trees more susceptible to typhoon damage. Uchima-udun's luxuriant forest landscape will disappear if the tree cutting and pruning plan is completed. Many valuable old trees inside the Agarie (the south part of Uchima-udun) and a coalesced female and male tree at the south entrance were pruned and all of their leaves or branches chopped.Inadequate conservation laws are a significant reason for the ease with which the cutting and pruning old，historically significant trees occurs.The Act on Protection of Cultural Properties and The Landscape Act already exist to protect historic and cultural landscapes. However，a “historic landscape conservation ordinance"，complete with penal provisions，is needed in each community to effectively protect landscapes at the local level.Such a local conservation ordinance does not exist in Japan.Tourism is a major industry in Okinawa Prefecture. Uchima-udun's historic landscape is a valuable tourism resource，as well as an important sacred space.Therefore，landscape conservation ordinance at the community level in Okinawa is urgently required