Yakusugi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese cedar
that grows on the mountain 500 metres above sea level. The term "Yakusugi" refers to trees that are more than 1,000 years old. Those less than 1,000 years are called "kosugi." (lit. small Japanese cedar)’. The Japanese cedars in Yakushima
may also be referred to as "jisugi" (literally: "locally grown cedars")’, but this also encompasses the kosugi, and is a regional dialect.
lives for about 500 years, but Yakusugi lives much longer. Yakusugi that grows on less nutritious granite
grows slowly and is grained very tightly. It contains much resin due to Yakushima
's high rainfall and high humidity, making it harder to rot. As a result, these trees tend to have longer lives, and many larger trees have been around for more than 2,000 years. Famous examples include the Jōmon-sugi, Kigen-sugi and Wilson
stumps, named for their discoverer.
to rebuild the shrine around 1560. This is the earliest known record of yakusugi being used for logging
.
In addition, after conquering Kyushu
, Ishida Mitsunari
, a samurai
who later led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara
, had Shimazu Yoshihisa
, a territorial lord of Satsuma province
, examine the amount of wood in Yakushima and around 1590. 11 vessels of Shōdoshima
, an island located in the Inland Sea, carried yakusugi timber
s to Osaka
to build Daibutsuden
, in Hōkō-ji
, the temple in Kyoto built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
.
During the Edo period
(1603–1868), Tomari Jochiku, a Confucian monk
of the Nichiren
sect who had been born in Yakushima and served the Satsuma domain, saw the destitution of the islanders in Yakushima and submitted a plan to cut down yakusugi to the Shimazu clan
daimyo
. Full-scale logging began around 1640.
Yakusugi were used as shipbuilding materials or architectural materials, but most became roof tiles called hiragi (lit. flat wood). The islanders sent hiragi to Satsuma domain as an annual tribute. In addition, other yakusugi not used as an annual tribute were bought by the Satsuma clan in exchange for rice and other supplies.
In Meiji
era (1868–1912), residents were restricted from cutting trees. Islanders objected to this and sued for return of the national forests, but lost. However, because this contributed to the subsequent poverty of Yakushima, Kagoshima woodcraft department announced "the plan of forest management in Yakushima" in 1921. Some of the main points include:
With this judgement yakusugi was nationalized and the timber
industry was restored. As of 2001, all of the nationalized wood had been cut down except for the ones deemed national treasures, and so the logging in Yakusugi finished.
s etc. are made from stumps of previously felled trees and trees that fell fallen naturally in typhoons. These trees are called domaiboku, which literally means buried trees in the ground.
Cryptomeria
Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
that grows on the mountain 500 metres above sea level. The term "Yakusugi" refers to trees that are more than 1,000 years old. Those less than 1,000 years are called "kosugi." (lit. small Japanese cedar)’. The Japanese cedars in Yakushima
Yakushima
, one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres...
may also be referred to as "jisugi" (literally: "locally grown cedars")’, but this also encompasses the kosugi, and is a regional dialect.
Outline
In general, the Japanese cedarCryptomeria
Cryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
lives for about 500 years, but Yakusugi lives much longer. Yakusugi that grows on less nutritious granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
grows slowly and is grained very tightly. It contains much resin due to Yakushima
Yakushima
, one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres...
's high rainfall and high humidity, making it harder to rot. As a result, these trees tend to have longer lives, and many larger trees have been around for more than 2,000 years. Famous examples include the Jōmon-sugi, Kigen-sugi and Wilson
Ernest Henry Wilson
Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
stumps, named for their discoverer.
Logging
A stone monument from Kagoshima-jingū shrine says that Japanese cedar and hinoki wood was carried from YakushimaYakushima
, one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres...
to rebuild the shrine around 1560. This is the earliest known record of yakusugi being used for logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
.
In addition, after conquering Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
, a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who later led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, had Shimazu Yoshihisa
Shimazu Yoshihisa
was a daimyo of Satsuma Province and the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. His mother was a daughter of Nyurai'in Shigesato , Yukimado . Shimazu Yoshihiro and Shimazu Toshihisa are his brothers....
, a territorial lord of Satsuma province
Satsuma Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation is Sasshū .During the Sengoku Period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyo, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city.In 1871, with the...
, examine the amount of wood in Yakushima and around 1590. 11 vessels of Shōdoshima
Shodoshima
is an island located in the Inland Sea of Japan. The name means literally "Island of Small Beans". There are two towns on the island: Tonoshō and Shōdoshima, comprising the district of Shōzu.The island is famous for its stages of Twenty-Four Eyes...
, an island located in the Inland Sea, carried yakusugi timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
s to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
to build Daibutsuden
Daibutsu
or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese term, often used informally, for large statues of Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera and the best-known those of Tōdai-ji in Nara and Kōtoku-in in Kamakura , both National Treasures.- Examples :...
, in Hōkō-ji
Hoko-ji (Kyoto)
is a temple in Kyoto, Japan, dating from the 16th century. Toyotomi Hideyoshi determined that the capital city should have a Daibutsu temple to surpass that of Nara. He is reputed to have claimed at the outset that he would complete construction in half the time it took Emperor Shōmu to complete...
, the temple in Kyoto built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
.
During the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(1603–1868), Tomari Jochiku, a Confucian monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
of the Nichiren
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
sect who had been born in Yakushima and served the Satsuma domain, saw the destitution of the islanders in Yakushima and submitted a plan to cut down yakusugi to the Shimazu clan
Shimazu clan
The were the daimyō of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan.The Shimazu were identified as one of the tozama or outsider daimyō clans in contrast with the fudai or insider clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan,The Shimazu were...
daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
. Full-scale logging began around 1640.
Yakusugi were used as shipbuilding materials or architectural materials, but most became roof tiles called hiragi (lit. flat wood). The islanders sent hiragi to Satsuma domain as an annual tribute. In addition, other yakusugi not used as an annual tribute were bought by the Satsuma clan in exchange for rice and other supplies.
In Meiji
Meiji
Meiji may refer to:* Meiji Restoration, the revolution that ushered in the Meiji period* Meiji period - the period in Japanese history when the Meiji Emperor reigned...
era (1868–1912), residents were restricted from cutting trees. Islanders objected to this and sued for return of the national forests, but lost. However, because this contributed to the subsequent poverty of Yakushima, Kagoshima woodcraft department announced "the plan of forest management in Yakushima" in 1921. Some of the main points include:
- The front of the mountain is solely for local profit.
- Local people may use the trees for firewoodFirewoodFirewood is any wood-like material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form....
. - Local people will be hired for cutting, planting, and raising woods and will be provided with birdlimeBirdlimeBirdlime is an adhesive substance used in trapping birds. It is spread on a branch or twig, upon which a bird may land and be caught. Its use is illegal in many jurisdictions....
trees, or trochodendronTrochodendronTrochodendron is a genus of flowering plants with one living species, Trochodendron aralioides, and six extinct species known from the fossil record...
. - The government will foot the bill for building gravel roadGravel roadA gravel road is a type of unpaved road surfaced with gravel that has been brought to the site from a quarry or stream bed. They are common in less-developed nations, and also in the rural areas of developed nations such as Canada and the United States. In New Zealand, they are known as 'metal roads'...
s around YakushimaYakushima, one of the Ōsumi Islands, is an island of about 500 km² and roughly 15,000 islanders to the south of Kyūshū in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The Vincennes Strait separates it from Tanegashima. The highest point on the island is Miyanoura-dake at 1,935 metres...
.
With this judgement yakusugi was nationalized and the timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
industry was restored. As of 2001, all of the nationalized wood had been cut down except for the ones deemed national treasures, and so the logging in Yakusugi finished.
Domaiboku
Since it is no longer permitted to cut Yakusugi today, souvenirSouvenir
A souvenir , memento, keepsake or token of remembrance is an object a person acquires for the memories the owner associates with it. The term souvenir brings to mind the mass-produced kitsch that is the main commodity of souvenir and gift shops in many tourist traps around the world...
s etc. are made from stumps of previously felled trees and trees that fell fallen naturally in typhoons. These trees are called domaiboku, which literally means buried trees in the ground.
See Also
- Jōmon SugiJomon Sugiis a large cryptomeria tree located on Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Japan. It is the oldest and largest of nearly 2,000-year-old-growth cryptomeria trees on the island,and is estimated to be between 2,170and 7,200 years old....
- Yakushima White PineYakushima White PineThe Yakushima White Pine is a native of southern Japan, on the islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima south of Kyūshū. It has also been grown horticulturally in Japanese parks...
- Ernest Henry WilsonErnest Henry WilsonErnest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
- Wilson stumpTree stumpAfter a tree has been cut and felled, the stump or tree stump is usually a small remaining portion of the trunk with the roots still in the ground. Stumps may show the age-defining rings of a tree. The study of these rings is known as dendrochronology....