Wash, Tighten, Re-oil. The main challenge for the North American shou sugi ban market is that it hasn’t been around for very long. Not only have most people never seen charred wood…
sugi
DIY: What’s the Best Way to Brush Your Own Shou Sugi Ban?
Setting the Stage Our two main mills in Hiroshima and Tokushima Japan are the largest yakisugi “shou sugi ban” millwork operation in the world, with a proprietary high-volume semi-automated millwork and heat…
Biophilic Design (and wood)
What is Biophilic Design? Biophilia is the human love of nature. Biophilic design is the practice of consciously incorporating materials or spaces that reinforce our relationship with the living world into the…
Japanese Burnt Wood Siding: Top 10 Myths About Shou Sugi Ban
Over the years we’ve seen a lot of mixed information circling the web surrounding what Japanese burnt wood siding (shou sugi ban) is, how it is used, and wood siding in general.…
An Outside-The-Box ADU Designed To Maximize Rental Income
We don’t get to meet many of our customers since we have an efficient distribution setup shipping directly throughout North America without a traveling sales team. That makes local projects super fun…
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…
Earlywood Vs. Latewood and Growth Ring Patterns in Yakisugi
Growth Rings in Yakisugi “Shou Sugi Ban” Cypress Siding Growth ring patterns are critical to both yakisugi “shou sugi ban” appearance and, more than most people realize, wood longevity. Anyone considering wood siding is concerned…