Shinboku
Some shrines in Shinto worship a sacred tree instead of having a physical structure. In Shinto rituals, evergreen trees with pointed branches, known as tamagushi, are used as a substitute for the gods to descend from. The most popular type of tamagushi is the sakaki tree, but other species such as hisakaki and ogatama no ki are used in regions where sakaki does not grow naturally (areas north of the Kanto region).