Cultural Snapshots

Jōmon Sugi: The Famed Ancient Tree of Yakushima

Environment Culture

The Jōmon Sugi, thought to be at least 2,000 years old, is a huge old-growth tree on the Japanese island of Yakushima.
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An Old-Growth Giant

The Jōmon Sugi is an ancient Japanese cedar (sugi) on Yakushima, an island that is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Kagoshima Prefecture. This rugged old-growth tree is massive and estimates of its age range from around 2,000 to 7,000 years old. It takes its name from the prehistoric Jōmon period, which dates from around 10,000 BC to 300 BC.

Demand for lumber meant that Yakushima’s forests came under threat from logging in the 1960s. However, the discovery of the Jōmon Sugi on May 28, 1966, led to it becoming a tourist attraction. Ultimately, the island’s forests received increased protection and Yakushima became one of Japan’s first Natural World Heritage Sites in 1993.

This forest was one inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s 1997 Princess Mononoke.

(Originally written in English. Banner image © Pixta.)

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