Sakaki
(Cleyera japonica), shrine offering tree, sakaki is a flowering evergreen tree native to warm areas of Japan, Korea and mainland China. It can reach a height of 10 m. The leaves are 6–10 cm long, smooth, oval, leathery, shiny and dark green above, yellowish-green below, with deep furrows for the leaf stem. The bark is dark reddish brown and smooth. The small, scented, cream-white flowers open in early summer, and are followed later by berries which start red and turn black when ripe. Sakaki is one of the common trees in the second layer of the evergreen oak forests. Sakaki is a most important tree in Shinto, linked to the enticing of Amaterasu from her cave and used extensively both in offerings to the kami and as demarcation of sacred spaces and boundaries.
Sakaki wood is used for making utensils (especially combs), building materials, and fuel. It is commonly planted in gardens, parks, and shrines.
Key idea: "offering". Main colour: Red
Considered, balanced action. Harmonious power. Insight, judgement, understanding. Actions that bring harmony. Increasing quiet and peace of mind. Ability to receive and understand communication from the deep levels of the mind. Meditative silence.