It’s Yakisugi, Not Shou Sugi Ban…!
Before I get this blog started, let’s just address the huge elephant in the room that is; it’s definitely Yakisugi, not Shou Sugi Ban…! Don’t be fooled by the plethora of online articles and YouTube videos stating otherwise. They’re wrong(ish)!
The Kanji for Yakisugi [焼杉] literally translates to Burnt Cedar. Where the “Cedar” (sugi) in question is Cryptomeria Japonica, which is more commonly known as Japanese Cedar, or Japanese Red Cedar. Bizarrely, though, Cryptomeria is a genus of the Cupressaceae family, which are Cypress!? Go figure.
According to the Japanese Woodcraft Association website, “…Shou is a misspelled reading of Yaki.”. Thus, even though both phrases have identical meanings (and Shou Sugi Ban is the more common name given to the process by Western content providers), “…nearly nobody in Japan would understand the term; Shou Sugi Ban.”. Yakisugi is “…the common name for this method in Japan.”
So, What Is Yakisugi?
Yakisugi is a burning process that has been used as a way of protecting exterior wooden cladding on traditional Japanese houses (amongst other applications), for centuries. In the manual method (there is, apparently, a machine method), three planks of Cedar (or Pine) are bound together to form a prismatic “chimney”. Ideally, the planks should be dried beforehand, and have a moisture content somewhere between 10-15%. This provides good results and reduces warping of the planks during the burning process.
The chimney is raised at one end and supported. Then paper (typically newspaper) is stuffed into the bottom end of the chimney, and lit. It takes a couple of minutes for the wood to catch, but flames will quickly proliferate up the chimney and bellow out of the top. The burning process doesn’t take that long, either. In order to get about 3-4mm of surface char, the wood is left to burn for no more than five minutes. Temperatures inside the chimney often exceed 400°C (673°F).
Geek Fact: (that I found out whilst researching this blog): Wood placed in an oven with a temperature of 371°C (700°F) will spontaneously ignite.
Once the desired amount of char has been achieved, the chimney is opened and the flames extinguished with water. The resultant crocodile/alligator skin-type crackle to the surface of the wood is insect and mould resistant, weather resistant, and (most bizarrely) improves fire retardancy! Which is nice. This process also provides a level of dimensional stability to the wood.
How I Started With Yakisugi
YouTube. Where else?
Way before I started Silverhand Creative (and whilst still living the good life, over in Australia), a recommended video appeared in my YouTube feed about Shou Sugi Ban. (Unfortunately for my OCD and autistic tendencies, this term is now way too ingrained in the social media psyche for people to start using Yakisugi). The thumbnail on this video caught my eye (due to the stunning nature of the results of this process and the colourful stains used), so I gave it a watch.
From that point on, I was hooked and wanted to give it a try. The only thing that really irked me about these videos (other than every single channel calling it Shou Sugi Ban, and not Yakisugi. Heathens!), was that they only ever demonstrated the process on short planks and never used (or showed) the process on a full project. Almost like they didn’t know how to use it on anything else.
I imagined using Yakisugi in a more aesthetically creative way. I never got the chance to try it out in Australia (they’re, understandably, a bit ‘twitchy’ about fire over there), but when I got back to the UK and decided to start up Silverhand Creative, I dived right in.
Creative Uses Of Yakisugi
Using the Yakisugi process on small (or not so small) projects is limited only to the imagination. You can get some amazing effects with some wood, a blow torch, a wire brush, and colourful wood stains. If you want to see how I use Yakisugi in my creations, then check out my other blog entitled; Yakisugi: How I Use It.
Don’t just take my word for it, have a go and see what you can create for yourself.
Further Reading And Footnotes
For more about Yakisugi (or, indeed, other traditional Japanese woodworking processes), check out the aforementioned Japanese Woodcraft Association website.
For more information about me and all that is Silverhand Creative, go check out the About Me page on this website. I have a presence on Instagram and Facebook, where I post photos (and the odd video) of ongoing and finished projects. There’s also a YouTube channel, where you can see how I go about doing what I do and what tools I prefer to use. So, feel free (there’s no pressure) to follow and/or subscribe to any (or all) of the above.
I am most definitely amenable to commission work and have a web form for you to get in touch, should you be looking for something a little more custom.
All trademarks (registered or otherwise) used in this blog lie solely with their respective owners.