Site of Kosugidani Village
The village of Kosugidani began as a base for logging projects in Yakushima National Forest in 1923. A year before, construction had begun on the Anbo Forest Railway, which connected the valley to the port of Anbo. The railway allowed timber to be transported from the mountains to the harbor with comparative ease, and this made Kosugidani an ideal base for the island’s logging industry. When most of the island’s forests were made government property in the mid-1920s, national demand increased and Kosugidani’s prosperity grew. Later, after World War II, the valley played a significant role in supplying lumber for national reconstruction.
Woodcutters and other laborers lived with their families in Kosugidani. At its peak in 1960, the village had a population of 540 people, with more than 150 children attending the joint elementary and junior high school. Eventually, however, clear-cutting and the invention of a more effective chainsaw led to the depletion of the valley’s resources and the end of logging in the area. The village logging office was closed in 1970, and the last villager left around that time.
The site of the old school can be seen in the clearing just off the trail, and photos of students and village life are displayed nearby. Near the covered rest area is a stone monument marking the location of the logging office, commemorated with a large cross-section cut from a giant cedar.
West from Kosugidani, the Arakawa Trail continues toward the Jomonsugi Cedar (8 km, approximately 3 hours and 50 minutes). Following the trail east leads to the Arakawa Trail Entrance (2.6 km, approximately 50 minutes).
A tent-style disposable-toilet booth is located here from March to November. The closest flush toilet is at the Arakawa Trail Entrance.