Hey, while the world is in turmoil, we should still try to live fully, intentionally. Innovations to make life better that don’t connect with Japan? - Rare. Want to balance living space with greenery? Then Daisugi might be the beautiful option out there.
Sukiya Zukuri is an architectural form widely used during the Muromachi period of Japan’s Kitayama area. In the 14th or 15th century, the need for high-quality timber led to the idea of Daisugi among the foresters of Kitayama. Necessity is the mother of innovation~ true indeed.
The dual challenge of timber need and saving forestry came with a solution. If the mother tree keeps producing timber without any obstacles, then both are saved.
So here is the main idea:
A mother tree or platform tree, on top of which straight vertical shoots of trees grow. Initially, after 5-6 years of planting a tree (mostly Japanese cedar) is carefully pruned. Then, almost after 20 years, the tree is ready to produce a huge amount of timber, and the process goes on, almost like a golden goose with never-ending eggs.
Perfect straight, knot-free lumber is 140% more flexible and 200% denser than standard cedar. For 300-400 years, continuous production of such inputs has maintained a balance between the economy and the environment.
How does it differ from pollarding and coppicing, right?
The basic idea is similar to pollarding and coppicing in an ecosystem. But Japan has taken this idea to another level. Daisugi creates giant bonsais~ living arts. The aesthetics of such creativity have made it a unique cultural significance.
It has cleverly made a model of land preservation. This is no longer a forestry method, but a cultural heritage with multi-faceted benefits.
Now the question is- If this is such an effective technique, why not use it globally?
The idea of Daisugi is to create the bonsai, knot-free, straight to the sky-looking trees. This works best for Cryptomeria japonica ( a tree that grows vertically without many branches).
The method holds fine craftsmanship of the farmers and foresters that is not available globally.
Maintaining the pruning frequency with such meticulous method is difficult worldwide.
It takes a long time (almost 20 years) to have the first production. Maintaining such generational heritage is a matter of culture.
Not all countries have such ecological and genetic factors to support the art form. And only a specific type of tree grows in such a way.
Japan has a unique way of presenting itself to the world. If you have such known concepts in mind, share them with me.
Thanks for reading!
Jessie.
