Craftsmen participating in ``Meisterstrasse Japanese Edition'', a website that introduces traditional crafts from around the world. This time, we would like to introduce Nakagen, a long-established company that grows and processes Kitayama cedar.

After about an hour's drive from the center of Kyoto, you will arrive at Nakagawa, Kitayama town, which is completely surrounded by nature. Kitayama cedar is known as a traditional industry in this area along the river. This cedar is used in high-class buildings such as tea rooms and restaurants, and is used in the form of logs for important highlights. In other words, cedar is a special type of cedar that is not just a structural material, but serves as an architectural design.

The secret behind the unique Kitayama cedar surface

The charm of Kitayama cedar lies in its beautiful surface finish. After 30 to 40 years of growth, the cedars are felled and usually cut into 3m lengths. The bark is peeled off and the surface is carefully polished with local water and sand. The unique smoothness is due to this polishing.

Also, pay attention to the unique expression of the wood surface. In addition to those grown naturally, by wrapping plastic rods around the surface during growth, it is possible to emphasize the unevenness of the surface or create a smooth finish, allowing for a variety of tasteful expressions.

In the case of a typical cedar, the root is thick and heavy, and it grows in a tapered manner. On the other hand, it is interesting that Kitayama cedar trees are deliberately managed to grow thinly by planting them closely together, with close spacing between the trees, and then frequently pruning (cutting) most of the branches.

600Traditional industry that lasts for years

The history of Kitayama cedar production is said to have begun about 600 years ago, and the white cedar that grows at Nakagawa Hachimangu Shrine, which is the stronghold of the area, is 600 years old. There is also an interesting legend about sand polishing mentioned above. A long time ago, the villagers of Nakagawa helped a monk who fell ill and carefully nursed him. Then, the monk taught that if cedar was polished with sand from Bodhi Falls in the back of Nakagawa, it would become a very beautiful cedar, and Kitayama cedar became popular in the capital.

“Give it to your wife” instead of shipping it

Osamu Nakata, the fourth-generation owner of Nakagen, which has been producing Kitayama cedar for about 130 years, explains that shipping cedar is like "giving it to my wife." These words give a strong sense of the painstaking effort put into creating a beautiful figure and the attachment to their work.

``Although forestry can be difficult at times, I consider myself a child of the mountains.And lately, I have been feeling very strongly that I love trees, especially Kitayama cedars. ” said Mr. Nakata. Currently, they are working on a daily basis to further revitalize their area, which is based on the single industry of Kitayama cedar. Recently, they have also held trial sessions such as log polishing and pruning (removal of growing cedar branches). I have a very strong desire to preserve the tradition of Kitayama cedar. As a result of these efforts, new initiatives with overseas companies have now begun.

600 years of preserving tradition. A new era for Kitayama cedar is about to begin.