At an altitude of 1230 m and rising to a height of 19.5 m, Kigen Sugi is one of the highest and tallest yakusugi on the island. Yakusugi (Cryptomeria japonica) are Japanese cedar trees unique to Yakushima; they live for more than one thousand years. Kigen Sugi has a circumference of 8.1 m and is estimated to be about 3000 years old, making it also one of the oldest trees on Yakushima.
Kigen Sugi is home to at least twenty-one kinds of epiphytes, organisms which grow on the surface of a plant and add to the diversity and biomass of the local ecosystem. Of the many epiphytes living on the Kigen Sugi, the flowers of rhododendrons in spring and Japanese rowan trees in autumn are particularly beautiful.
Kigen Sugi can be found on the way to Yodogawa Trail Entrance along the Anbo Forest Road, a 15-minute drive from Yakusugi Land. A platform encircles Kigen Sugi and provides visitors with a 360-degree view of the tree. Kigen Sugi is the oldest and largest yakusugi tree visitors can access by car without entering hiking trails.
