Daisugi the Japanese Technique of Trees Out of Trees, Making Exact Straight Wood
4 hours ago
- #Japanese forestry
- #sustainability
- #traditional craftsmanship
- Daisugi is a traditional Japanese forestry technique that involves growing additional trees out of existing trees, akin to creating giant bonsai, to produce straight and strong timber.
- Developed in Kyoto by the 15th century due to wood shortages, it was refined by tea master Sen-no-rikyu in the 16th century to meet architectural demands for perfect, straight timber.
- The technique yields taruki timber that is 140% more flexible and 200% denser than standard cedar, making it ideal for teahouse roofs and resistant to typhoons.
- While compared to Western coppicing, daisugi is noted for its application on conifers like cedar, requiring meticulous pruning every two years over decades.
- Despite Japan's abundant forests, daisugi is valued for its sustainability and craftsmanship, though it faces criticism for being labor-intensive and potentially unnecessary.
- The practice reflects Japan's cultural harmony with nature, emphasizing aesthetic and functional perfection in timber production, and continues to inspire global interest in sustainable forestry.