Otoyo · JP

大杉の苑

Ōsugi no Sono is a small commemorative park perched on a hillside just steps from Sugi no Ōsugi — Japan's largest and oldest cedar tree — in the mountain town of Ōtoyo, Kochi Prefecture. Built in 1993 to honor the legendary singer Misora Hibari, the garden houses her memorial portrait stone and a song monument inscribed with the handwritten lyrics to her signature ballad "Like the Flow of the River." As visitors approach, a sensor-activated sound system fills the air with three of her greatest songs, set against the backdrop of the Shikoku mountain range. The garden's story begins in 1947, when nine-year-old Hibari — then performing under the name Misora Kazue — survived a devastating bus accident during a touring run in Ōtoyo. After recovering, she walked up to the ancient cedar and prayed to become Japan's number-one singer. She returned at fourteen to give thanks, and went on to become the most beloved voice in Japanese history. After her death in 1989, the town created Ōsugi no Sono so her memory would flow onward like the river in her final masterpiece.