Yakisugi, known as “shou sugi ban” in the west, is quickly becoming known worldwide as a great option for exterior wood siding. It’s inexpensive. It’s durable. It’s beautiful. It’s wholesome. But how…
yakisugi
Exterior Yakisugi Weathering: Years 1-3
Today I was getting ready to wash my yakisugi privacy wall in a spring cleanup and started noticing how it is weathering. Then I realized this is good content since weathering is…
Shou Sugi Ban Siding: Which End Of The Plank Is Crown-Up And Which End Is Roots-Down?
This post is trivial for most people and is written with traditional tradesmen in mind. You might need to be OCD and infatuated with wood to appreciate this. A little extra care during…
Nakamoto Forestry Yakisugi on a Zero-Energy Project
Our timberland management in Japan is focused on sustainability and our manufacturing side is focused on ethical products for healthy living, so we get excited about passive houses or other types of…
Shou Sugi Ban Wood Longevity Vs. Color Longevity
This is a long and technical one because this subject is important, complex, nuanced and fun. Owners Want Low Maintenance and Beauty Architects and owners come to us for siding that is…
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…
Shou Sugi Ban Durability: How Long Does Yakisugi Last?
Shou Sugi Ban lasts 80 years. That’s the number we hear nearly every day as the benchmark for how long shou sugi ban is supposed to last without maintenance. But how accurate…