shōshinboku 正真木

Meaning genuine tree. The term was coined in the middle Edo period to refer to the dominant or master tree in a garden. Typically the shoshinboku was an evergreen, usually a pine matsu 松, but other species were also used. It was usually planted on the central island nakajima 中島 in pond gardens and on the hill in hill gardens *tsukiyama 築山, but in either case it occupied a prominent place in the garden design. It may also be called the shinboku 心木 (heart tree), shinboku 真木 (true tree), or shōshinboku. Closely related is the idea of the *shuboku 主木 (master tree).