Gendai

Gendai undergoes the same heat treatment process as our traditional Suyaki products, followed by a single brushing that removes most of the soot layer to create a more user-friendly siding product. 

This type of siding has been used for centuries. In Japan, the term “arai,” (meaning “washed”) is commonly used because water is used during the brushing process. Essentially, Gendai represents what Suyaki will look like after about 50 years of soot layer weathering. Gendai products should have a total lifespan of about 75 years without maintenance—and this can be extended with periodic oil recoating. 

It is essential for new owners to differentiate wood durability from color longevity. Like any other wood siding, Gendai used for exterior siding will naturally fade and weather over time. To maintain a specified color, it will be necessary to regularly recoat Gendai with one of our exterior finish options.

In Western Japan, brushed yakisugi (like our Gendai products) is traditionally installed without an oil finish and has demonstrated excellent performance. While finish coatings are not mandatory, they do enhance the overall lifespan and color longevity of any siding, including Gendai. Our specially formulated coatings enhance the durability of exterior wood installations by providing additional protection against UV rays and moisture. 

For yakisugi “shou sugi ban” customers with budget constraints, unoiled Gendai offers a solid choice. If desired, a finish coating can always be applied in the future. This flexibility allows for customization based on individual preferences and financial considerations.

At present, we do not offer a genuine clear coat prefinish option for our Gendai products, primarily because it is an infrequent specification request. The nearest factory-finished product available is Gendai with an alkyd Natural coating. This combination imparts a subtle yellow hue due to transparent oxides in the oil and is suitable for both exterior and interior applications. 

Customers can also purchase unoiled Gendai and have their own preferred finish coating applied on-site, before or after installation.

Any of our alkyd and acrylic coatings are suitable for both exterior and interior applications. If you prefer the appearance of the linseed coating over the alkyd option, simply specify linseed for exterior and alkyd for interior. (Please note: Our linseed coating option should not be used for interior applications.) 

Customers can also purchase unoiled Gendai and have their own preferred finish coating applied on-site, before or after installation.

Unoiled Gendai is occasionally used for traditional interior ceilings to serve as an air purifier. But for most interior yakisugi “shou sugi ban” applications, we recommend using a factory coating to bind any residual soot into the paneling surface.

Protecting the delicate soot layer on our Suyaki products requires careful manufacturing and packing processes. This additional labor slightly raises the production costs for Suyaki versus our Gendai products.