Jōmon Sugi (yakusugi)

Jōmon Sugi (yakusugi)

Tree, flora, oldest tree, organism

Jōmon Sugi, a yakusugi tree (Cryptomeria japonica) located on the Japanese island of Yakushima, is the oldest and largest of the old growth cryptomeria trees currently living on the island. Its age range is highly disputed, with estimates ranging from 2170 years old to "up to 7000." As its age has not been confirmed through dendrochronology, it is not currently able to surpass Methuselah as the world's oldest living tree.

The discovery of Jomon Sugi in 1968 on the north face of the island's Mount Miyanoura is credited with kickstarting efforts to protect Yakushima's forests, as well as for sparking the island's now flourishing tourism industry.

Access to Jomon Sugi has been semi-restricted since the designation of Yakushima as a UNSECO Heritage Site in 1993. It can only be viewed from an observation deck situated 15 meters from the tree, and cannot be touched in any way by tourists. Despite this measure, Jomon Sugi fell prey to a bark-stripping attack in 2005.

Jomon Sugi is the largest conifer in Japan at 83 feet tall and 54 feet around.

Aged 2170-7000 years old.

Under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Ministry of the Environment.

Yakusugi tree. Height of 25.3 m (83 ft), trunk circumference of 16.4 m (54 ft), volume of 300 m3 (11,000 cu ft).

Mount Miyanoura, Yakushima, Japan. 30.3610°N 130.5319°E.