
is a large ''
Cryptomeria
''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L.f.). It is considered to be endemic to Japan, ...
'' tree (
yakusugi
refers to "Japanese cedar" (sugi, or ''Cryptomeria'') on the island of Yakushima, typically growing at altitudes 500 meters and higher. The term also extends to the lumber taken from the logging of these coniferous trees.
In the strict sense, th ...
) located on
Yakushima
is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, in area, has a population of 13,178. It is accessible by hydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air to Yakushima Airport.
Administratively, the island consists of the town ...
, a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
, in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
. It is the oldest and largest among the
old-growth
An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...
cryptomeria trees on the island, and is estimated to be between 2,170
and 7,200 years old.
[ Other estimates of the tree's age include "at least 5,000 years",] "more than 6,000 years",[ and "up to 7,000 years old".][ The tree's name is a reference to the ]Jōmon period
In Japanese history, the is the time between , during which Japan was inhabited by the Jōmon people, a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united by a common culture, which reached a considerable degree of sedentism an ...
of Japanese prehistory.[
]
Overview
Jōmon Sugi is located on the north face of Mount Miyanoura, the highest peak on Yakushima, at an elevation of . Discovery of the tree in 1968 "sparked moves to protect the forests" of Yakushima and gave rise to the island's tourist industry, which today comprises more than half of its economy.
Jōmon Sugi is accessible via the Kusugawa Hiking Path (east of Miyanoura) and the Arakawa Trail (starting at the Arakawa Dam), but requires a "four-to-five hour mountain hike" from the nearest road to reach.[ After the designation of Yakushima as a World Heritage Site in 1993, local officials restricted access to the tree to an ]observation deck
An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclosed from we ...
built at a distance of from the tree.
The tree has a height of and a trunk circumference
In geometry, the circumference () is the perimeter of a circle or ellipse. The circumference is the arc length of the circle, as if it were opened up and straightened out to a line segment. More generally, the perimeter is the curve length arou ...
of .[ It has a volume of approximately , making it the largest ]conifer
Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...
in Japan. Tree-ring dating conducted by Japanese scientists on the tree's branch
A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins.
History and etymology
In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...
es indicated that Jōmon Sugi is at least 2,000 years old. In ''Remarkable Trees of the World'' (2002), arborist
An arborist, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the Plant cultivation, cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dend ...
Thomas Pakenham describes Jōmon Sugi as "a grim titan of a tree, rising from the spongy ground more like rock than timber, his vast muscular arms extended above the tangle of young cedars and camphor trees".
In 2005, vandals stripped from the tree a piece of bark
Bark may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick
* Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog)
Arts and entertainment
* ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...
measuring about on each side.
In April 2009, Jōmon Sugi was partnered with Tāne Mahuta
Tāne Mahuta, also called "God of the Forest", is a giant Agathis australis, kauri tree (''Agathis australis'') in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. Its age is unknown but is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years. It ...
in New Zealand's Waipoua Forest.
See also
* List of oldest trees
* List of records of Japan
* Great sugi of Kayano
* List of individual trees
References
External links
Trail to Jomon cedar, Yakushima, Kagoshima-ken
, image gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jomon Sugi
Individual conifers
Tourist attractions in Kagoshima Prefecture
Yakushima, Kagoshima
Jōmon period
Geography of Kagoshima Prefecture
Individual trees in Japan