Nago City, the gateway to northern okinawa, is known for its Cherry Blossom Festival; but there is another viewing attraction. In the middle of one of Nagos main streets stands the majestic Hinpun Gajimaru, a giant old banyan tree whose many large and small branches spread out to give it an expansive look. The tree is about 250 years old. It has been designated an okinawa Prefectural Natural Monument.

The term hinpun refers to a structure erected in front of oldstyle Ryukyuan homes so that passers-by could not look directly into the house. The hinpun partition was made of a variety of materials like stone, tiles, planted hedges, or bamboo, and it also served to ward off evil sprits. Because the giant banyan tree is also used as an animist shrine in the worshipping of the aged, it is not only Nago Citys hinpun protector but is revered as a religious symbol as well.

Under the tree beside the Anada Bridge, a stone memorial was erected in 1750 by order of the Shuri King Sho Kei. Its purpose was to quiet a widespread movement in northern okinawa to transfer the capital of the Kingdom to Nago.