Boseiju Reaches Skyward | MAGIC: THE GATHERING

In the heart of Towashi is Boseiju, the oldest living tree on Kamigawa and the only remnant of Jukai Forest left within city limits.

At the start of what is now known as the Modern Age, the city of Towashi was expanding rapidly to accommodate the demands of its increasing population. Moonfolk, nezumi, humans, and akki alike were living together, mingling in a way that would have been unthinkable in previous times. As the city grew, it began to eat into the Jukai Forest. Trees were felled to clear the land for new buildings, and many of the forest‘s kami found themselves being driven out. Enraged, the kami fought back, emerging from the depths of the forest to wreck the newly constructed buildings and curse the builders.

The emperor at the time finally intervened when an attack by the kami, and the Towashi builders’ subsequent retaliation, threatened to upend all the peaceful relations between mortals and kami once more. He brokered an agreement that the city would halt further growth into the forest. Meanwhile, the kami would not attack the city or intrude upon their planning. The city builders could continue to develop any land they had already started building on, with one exception: they were forbidden from cutting down Boseiju, which had fallen into the city‘s domain during the construction and fighting. Furthermore, Jukai Forest was now closed to all mortals without permission from the kami.

Unable to expand outward, Towashi was forced to grow upwards instead. Skyscrapers filled the city, and Boseiju was soon lost within the skyline.

But then the millennia-old tree, which had lain quiet for so long, began to grow once again. It grew so large and so tall that it came to eclipse even the tallest structures surrounding it. Builders attempted to match its height, but for every new “tallest structure” constructed, Boseiju grew even more. Boseiju’s message was clear: the city might be standing on this ground now, but the forest refused to let anyone forget who had been there first. Today, Boseiju is the largest structure in Towashi, its spreading branches casting a near-permanent shadow over much of Towashi.