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Daisugi (台杉) is a Japanese technique related to pollarding, used on Cryptomeria (sugi) trees.[1][2][3] The term roughly translates to "platform cedar".[4]
When applied in a silviculture context, the daisugi method requires trunks to be pruned every 2-4 years in order to maintain the straight, clear grain that they are coveted for.[5][6]
In the Muromachi period a form of very straight and stylized Sukiya-zukuri architecture was highly fashionable in Japan, resulting in a rise in demand for straight, uniform logs.[7][8][9] As a response, the daisugi method was developed by foresters in the Kitayama area of Kyoto,[10] [9][7] though other forms of vegetative reproduction such as the propagation of cuttings remained the dominant afforestation technique across the country. [11]
Kitayama foresters increased the value of their daisugi logs by applying a unique sand polishing method that gave the wood a smooth, shiny finish.[8][7] The development of the sanding method is attributed to a local fable about a traveling monk who was cared for by Kitayama villagers, it is said that he repaid their kindness by sharing his forestry knowledge with them.[12][7] Due to their strength and aesthetic value, Kitayama’s daisugi logs, and similar specialty lumber such as Kitayama Maruta logs[13] became popular in tea room construction, such as the tokonoma alcove.[10][9]
Although originally a forestry management technique, daisugi has also found its way into Japanese gardens as an aesthetic feature.[14]
Examples of daisugi forestry can still be found in areas of northern Kyoto where it was developed, though Kitayama sugi plantations do not contribute significantly to the domestic lumber market as they once did.[8][9] In the Village of Nakagawa in the Kyoto prefecture, efforts are underway to preserve traditional Japanese sugi silviculture practices such as daisugi, and the sand polishing technique used to finish daisugi logs.[9][7][12]
