A STORY OF WOOD
Miyazaki kyushu, JAPAN
Miyazaki Prefecture Wood Cooperative Association
Circulating
the Blessings of the Trees
We have lived with mount and utilized trees in various kinds of ways for a long time.
Trees sprout, grow, seed, moisten and abundantly cover mountains with the green generation after generation.
Along with trees’ life, we have nurtured tradition, culture, uniqueness, industry and daily life region by region.
Trees are rare materials in that they are cultivated endlessly.
Trees can be planted and grown after being sawn down.
But, it takes time.
Efficiency, speed and standardization ….
This is now the time we reconsider of circulating blessings of trees, putting aside those values we have unconsciously acquired in the modern time.
For the sake of a better future.
What We Have Done for
What We Can Do
We, Miyazaki Prefecture having a 400-year history of planting cedars, have recently achieved the largest production volume of the cedar materials in Japan for quarter of a century.
Now we have something to consider.
It is how important to utilize what has been developed for what we can do.
There is something everyone in Miyazaki can contribute to the future of forests, trees and human beings.
Cedar forests can be seen among evergreen forests*. of chinquapins and oaks massively covering mountains along the roads through the regions in Miyazaki Prefecture.
They are beautiful forests of Obi cedars*..
They show the mosaic pattern consisting of the cedars at different ages.
The pattern is the evidence of the nurturing circulation of the cedars.
Seedling, planting, foresting, lumbering.
Searches for the ways of utilizing trees better than ever.
Meanings of utilizing trees and close relations between forests and foods,
Importance of preserving forests and rediscovery of the richness by living with forests.
In the course of achieving the largest production of the cedar materials in Japan for quarter of a century,
Everyone in Miyazaki has considered, challenged and learned various kinds of things.
The results of this can be seen both in and outside of Miyazaki.
Nursery Trees with Promise
Whether nursery trees would grow as expected or not.
The result comes out after 30 to 50 years later.
If something wrong in their nature, characteristics and quality,
all efforts and time spent would result in vain.
So, each of nursery trees must promise its future growth.
There are difficulty and real taste in that point.
That is the reason why people pour their passion into nurturing nursery trees.
Working Now
for 100 Years Later
Forestry is a work with a span of some ten years or hundred years.
The result will come out after some generations.
However, trees are growing now to ensure the future of the mountains and forests, just as people are growing up to ensure the future of forestry, so there’s hope for a bright future.
Making Full
Use of Every Single Tree
Processing logs sawn down from mountains into boards upon requested purposes.
It is a process to give a new birth to woods as material.
Every word from those working at sawing on their own is filled with thoughtson the present and future for forestry, trees, mountains and forests.
Thoughtful Use of Woods
Nowadays there have been increasingly lots of non-wooden constructions and buildings, particularly in the cities. However, wooden ones make us relaxed.
That sounds natural because we, Japanese, have lived with woods and trees for a long time. Just like us, trees are living things.
Hyuga City Station
Nowadays there have been increasingly lots of non-wooden constructions
and buildings, particularly in the cities. However, wooden ones make us relaxed.
That sounds natural because we, Japanese, have lived with woods and trees for
a long time. Just like us, trees are living things.
Security Inspection Area
at Miyazaki Bougainvillea Airport
The safety inspection area tends to be constructed as the one with less hospitable atmosphere for its purpose.
But what if it would be wooden….
It has now given off totally different atmosphere.
Ryohin Keikaku
Office is a place where workers spend more than one-third of a day.
Comfortability must be more prioritized in considering office design.
Ryohin Keikaku which offers to the market comfortable life has decided to launch the office furniture made of Japanese woods,collaborating with Uchida Yoko. They have chosen cedar materials from Miyazaki prefecture.
They take the initiative in using the wooden furniture in their headquarters office located in Toshima ku, Tokyo.
Actual usage leads to new product development.
At the same time, proactive usage of the Japanese woods promotes regional revitalization.
Here is one of the samples for circulating blessings of trees.
Yumemi Bridge
Horikawa canal in Nichinan city was developed to have cedar trees cut at the mountain conveyed to the port.
Yumemi bridge was the wooden one over the canal under the regional redevelopment.
Its materials are, of course, local Obi cedar. Surprisingly, there are no metal materialssuch as nails used at all in the construction and joinery of the bridge.
Agata Kindergarten
Agata Kindergarten is located in Agata, Nichinan-city, Miyazaki prefecture.
Its building was designed on a very unique idea, the idea thata kindergarten is not facility, but a place for kids to live with families and neibors.
The building, made of many local cedars, consists of a staric series of variety of spaces.
Its richness clearly appears in lively face expression of kids.
How to use skills
and Wisdom in Woodworking
The main body is made of cedar and Hinoki, cypress.
Joint parts are made of tree skins of Kabazakura, Japanese bird cherry.
No glues at all. Yasumasa Kai, who has served in forestry for fifty years,knows everything about trees and makes”menpa”,with hands,, of pure materials of trees’ blessings.
Making the cedar-made furniture needs designing based on understandings
of the cedar’s characteristics of flexibility and the processing skill ob preciseness.
