The beautiful old trees of Mt. Ali were used to construct Japanese Shinto shrines, and in particular to build the torii gates at the front of the shrine complexes, which serve the same function as honorific arches or portals in Chinese temples. Torii gates require massive pillars and beams that are long and straight.
阿里山美木為木結構的日本神社提供了上好建材，尤其是神社入口處類似中國牌坊的「鳥居」，更是需要又直又挺的長幹美材。