The species name, Torano is from the Japanese vernacular toran-wo
, meaning "tiger's tail."
This species is native to Japan — from the Pacific Ocean side of Honshu island (westward from Fukushima prefecture), Shikoku and Kyushu islands, in the mountains growing at elevations of 1,300 to 6,000 feet (400 - 1,850 m) above sea level, growing on volcanic soils. Its preferred climate is moist-maritime, with annual precipitation of over 40 inches (1,000 mm) with cold, snowy winters. It occasionally forms pure stands but more often occurs in mixed stands with species such as Abies homolepis, Larix kaempferi, Pinus densiflora, Betula, Acer, Fagus, Quercus, Prunus
, and Zelkova serrata
.
