Art of ancient forestry techniques in the hands of trained botanists never fails to amuse us. Learn about Daisugi, the 15-century Japanese art of tree cultivation.
If you happen to visit Kyoto, the cedar forests along the hills will undoubtedly grab your attention. The Kitayama cedar is exceptionally straight without any unwanted knots and has been the subject of high demand since the 15th century. The limited forest space and massive demand for the trees gave birth to a new technique of harvesting trees on top of trees. Pruning a sapling on top of a mother tree that was like a large scale bonsai cultivation.
Daisugi enabled foresters to harvest more wood in the time of one tree and would not need more land than was already available. The technique could be traced back to ancient Rome when it was called pollarding. In Berlin, it was called Coppicing. The reason cedar is perfect for the choice is that the woody beams make it ideal for supporting pillars. The base trees last a hundred years with the cultivation on top being done in every twenty years.
If you think twenty years is a long time for the growth of a tree, in comparison to Kitayama cedar, it is a somewhat accelerated growth time. The pruning of knots is done carefully by the harvesters to ensure the trees grow knot-free and straight. After the end of thirty years, a single tree is chopped down and put to the constructional use.
Traditionally the trunks were used as pillars and can be seen used in the Muromachi period in the 15th century. The alcoves were used to exhibit artistic displays. They piece flagrantly in Kyoto's tea dynasties, and it's said that it was Kyoto's distinguished tea master, Sen-no-Rikyu, who necessitated faultlessness in the Kitayama cedar.
With the popularity in the use of Kitayama cedar in traditional niches and architecture, a considerable amount of the forest was chopped off to create furniture, decorations and even minimal use of wood like chopsticks. As the ecological experts realized the importance of the tree in their lives and the shortage of area to cultivate the tree, they made the technique of daisugi popular among the cultivators. Anyone with a plot worth anointing to the maturity of a tree is encouraged to nurture the method, and ensure the growth of the highly prized cedar tree.
