Every Japanese person intuitively knows about the concept of wabi-sabi. Still, when asked to explain or define it, we cannot put it into a clear and concise definition. Often, when we try…
definition
A Tour Of Japan’s Historic Yakisugi
We landed at Tokyo Narita earlier this summer on a cloudy Monday afternoon, legs sore from our ten-hour direct flight from Portland. It was my first experience in Japan, and I was…
Japanese Influence on Western Architecture Part 2: The Early Craftsman Movement
During the transition out of the 19th century and into modernity, Western architects started implementing Japanese architectural styles, details and thought. This was done to further their inspired vision. At the time,…
Japanese Influence On Western Architecture Part 1: The Early Period (Pre-Edo To Craftsmen Movement)
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting Japan, one of the first major differences that you might have noticed is the architecture. Cities such as Tokyo and Osaka that were leveled…
Yakisugi vs Shou Sugi Ban: What You Should Call It, and Why
Learn more about the linguistic background and why there is so much confusion between “yakisugi” and “shou sugi ban” in North America and Europe. When we started researching the North American and…
The Meaning of Sugi in Shou Sugi Ban
Chances are if you’ve found this blog, you already know who we are. We’re Nakamoto Forestry, the primary producer of yakisugi, or shou sugi ban. For our first blog post, we thought…