Passing Life from one Century to Another

The general understanding of trees and timbers is that broad-leaved species, such as zelkova and beech, are hard and slow-growing, changing in complex ways, while needle-leaved trees, such as cedar and cypress, are soft, growing fast and straight. However, Yakushima cedars growing at over- 500m above sea level for more than one thousand years old, elude these categorizations.

Yakushima is an island of up-thrust granite which solidified from underwater magma 15.5 million years ago. Its geography is steeply mountainous, but warm winds accompanying the Kuroshio sea current. This results in near-constant rain, and precipitation as much as 7000 - 10000mm annually. In such a severe environment, Yakushima cedars grow slowly with very fine grains that are exceedingly robust. Trees are rich in viscose oil and impervious to rot, even after felling.

“No two Yakushima cedars are the same. They come from shared climatic environments, but local conditions and experiences make each one different. Their forms, quality, and grain will be unique. Meandering grain patterns drawn on their fat trunks give each a distinct personality.”

So says Ryoichi Yamada from Yakusugi Wood Design Studio. Born on the island, he is involved in the wholesale and processing of Yakushima cedarwood. Visitors enjoy seeing a wide variety of craft objects, like chopsticks and accessories, and tourists take these home as valued objects and fond memories of Yakushima’s landscape. But Yamada says he feels discomfort in treating Yakushima cedar in such a way.

“I started in the woodworking business around the time that Yakushima was registered as a World Natural Heritage. The island suddenly attracted worldwide attention, and visitor number soared, as did the number of souvenir objects produced from Yakushima cedar. I watched with a degree of discomfort. Yakushima cedars, to me, are not just symbols of the island’s history and culture. Each is a particular manifestation of terrestrial transition. A tree transformed into a simple craft object does not convey its true essence.”

Yamada stresses that each line of the unique grain pattern on a Yakushima cedar is the creation of nature over a full century. This wood should not be regarded as a mere local specialty item. We should receive it as solid evidence of unimaginable lengths of time, and pass things on to the next generation.

“The process of carving is irreversible. No one can reset or return what is taken away. That is why I am so serious each time I confront the material.”

Yamada smiles as creases formed around his eyes. But speaking, his face suddenly becomes placid, like a calm sea. Then a chunk of Yakushima cedar fixed to his lathe starts rotating with a roaring noise. Yamada holds a chisel to carve the material in one go, wood shavings spinning off. Irregular grain can bounce the chisel backwards, so he must keep extreme tension. While concentrating on the senses of his hand, Yamada focuses on achieving the most beautiful possible forms.

The machine is switched off, and its noisy rotations quieten down, Yamada’s expression relaxes.

“The more I deal with this material, the more new features I find. I am never bored. I discover a new scene every time.” During Yamada’s over thirty years’ career, his creative curiosity has only increased. He has an unquenchable urge to aim higher.

Yamada always tries to draw the maximum from each piece of Yakushima cedar. His work includes luxury fountain pens with cedar bodies and ruby and sapphire nibs, musical instruments, and refined cedar oils. He is now waiting for Komaki Whisky to be ready, as it matures in Yakushima cedar barrels. He carefully selected the best wood to make these containers and is confident of his choices. The whisky is still enjoying its maturation inside Yakushima cedar that grew meticulously, year by year, over a millennium. What kind of transformation is it going through? Yamada works with the material while awaiting opening of the barrels in three years’ time.