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Yakisugi wood charring method
'Yakisugi' is a traditional Japanese method of preserving untreated wood and making it weatherproof and pest resistant. Done well yakisugi wood can last over 100 years. It doesn't use chemicals (just fire) and is completely biodegradable making it an eco-friendly alternative to chemically treated wood.
Why Yakisugi?
As eco-conscious gardeners we are always keen to use eco-friendly, biodegradable and food safe materials in our gardening. This includes using wood rather than plastic, especially in our planters and seed propagating trays. Using treated wood just doesn't do it for us. It certainly has its uses (such as outdoor furniture), but food safe it is not. Untreated wood is the only option.
Of course the problem with untreated wood is that, well, its untreated! Left outside it will go mouldy and rot. How then to preserve it without chemicals?
Our answer is the Yakisugi method, which we were inspired by having lived in Japan for 4 years. The deep char (which gives the wood a characteristic 'alligator skin' look) formed by burning wood makes it weatherproof, pest resistant and offers excellent UV protection, all amazing attributes especially when combined with a natural oil coating.
What exactly is Yakisugi?
The name Yakisugi literally means burned (yaki) cedar (sugi). It is an ancient Japanese technique whereby planks of cedar are burnt over a fire until a deep char forms, typically at least 2mm thick, forming a characteristic 'alligator skin' appearance.
To be considered authentic, Yakisugi wood must be:
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Japanese cedar (sugi)
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Charred using the chimney method
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Have a deep char several mm thick
In addition the wood is usually left as is, with a thick sooty alligator skin appearance ('Suyaki') rather than being brushed to remove the skin ('Gendai').
Technically then, we do not use authentic Yakisugi!
Deep char, unbrushed
'Suyagi'
Deep char, brushed
'Gendai'
So what technique do you use?
At Gardencraft Furnishings we use a technique that is quite common amongst gardeners and DIY'ers. The main difference to Yakisugi is that we use pine instead of cedar, as it is more readily available in New Zealand, whereas cedar is more expensive. We also use a propane torch, instead of using the chimney method. Also, although we do offer Suyaki, we also offer Gendai products.
We also have a medium char option on our products, which is a lower cost option. Although this does not provide as much protection as a deep char, we do apply a coat of Tung oil (high quality food safe oil) to add another layer of protection, or a stain on the outside, to ensure that the product is as weather resistant as possible. We also do this for our Gendai products.
Deep char
Medium char
Comparison of
char depth
Is this 'Shou Sugi Ban' then?
In a sense, yes.
'Shou sugi ban' is a term for Yakisugi derived from a mis-translation of the Japanese characters (kanji) by westeners, who used the Chinese pronunciation for the kanji rather than the Japanese one. Further, although it is simply a mis-pronunciation of Yakisugi, the term has grown to take on a broader meaning, including any charred wood species, and using any technique such as the use of hand-held torches. In this sense our method is Shou-sugi ban, although we simply refer to it as 'Yaki-ita', meaning 'charred plank', which is a more traditional Japanese name for our technique.
Regardless of terminology the Yakisugi technique has inspired wood workers world-wide and wood treated in this way is becoming popular for cladding, fencing, and garden items such as our own Gardencraft Furnishings planters and seed propagation trays.
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