Sakuramatsu Shrine in the Ashiro district of Hachimantai is believed to be a place where fortuitous things happen. Its name literally means “Cherry Pine,” and derives from a legend that cherry blossoms once sprouted from the limbs of a pine tree here.

Just inside the torii entrance gate of this sanctuary stand two moss-covered maple trees, gnarled with age but no less celebrated. Their trunks are joined not only at the outcropping of rock from which they grow, but also higher up, midair along their curving length. Because their two trunks have fused seamlessly together over the years the trees are considered a source of good luck for couples, and both local residents and visitors from afar come here to pray that they will be blessed by a suitable match in love or marriage.