Shou Sugi Ban

Shou Sugi Ban - Timber from Japan

Original Shou Sugi Ban

The traditional Japanese cladding wood

We offer original Japanese Shou Sugi Ban cladding timber for your property. This traditional yet highly modern wood product is called Yakisugi in Japan and refers to wood that has undergone a special heat treatment process. At Nakamoto Forestry, you can choose from three surface finishes of Shou Sugi Ban (Yakisugi):

Suyaki impresses with its carbonised surface, highlighting the unique texture of charred wood.
Gendai is brushed once, revealing the wood grain while retaining the natural black colour. It is a popular choice for its elegant combination of visible grain and black tones.
Pika-Pika is brushed twice, enhancing the full beauty of the wood grain.

Various colour accents can be achieved through oils and pigments. We are happy to offer you detailed advice in choosing the perfect Shou Sugi Ban (Yakisugi).

What makes Shou Sugi Ban timber so special?

The Japanese Original

Our original Yakisugi (Shou Sugi Ban) is crafted in Japan by the Nakamoto Forestry family business, now in its third generation, using Japanese cypress. This species of cypress is lighter compared to traditional European cladding timbers, virtually resin-free, and highly dimensionally stable. The Shou Sugi Ban or Yakisugi heat treatment adds further advantages. Yakisugi (Shou Sugi Ban) is:

Water-repellent
Durable and dimensionally stable
Naturally resistant to insects and mould.

Thanks to the traditional heat treatment, Yakisugi is resistant to rot and thus achieves exceptional weather resistance without any additional protective coating. It effortlessly defies the most adverse conditions, be it humidity, moisture, extreme heat, or frost.

Yakisugi is characterised by its remarkable durability. Sugi (Japanese cypress) is by nature superior in durability compared to conventional European cladding timber. The Yakisugi heat treatment adds further decades of years to this natural durability: there are numerous buildings in Japan with Yakisugi façades which are over 80 years old and have lost nothing of their beauty and functionality.

The Nakamoto Forestry family business in Japan produces Yakisugi for over 60 years. Typical to Japan, we do think in generations. Sustainability therefore is top priority in all production and processing steps to ensure that future generations can continue to use resources responsibly.

The cypress timber used for our Yakisugi come from our own forest stands and are selected with the utmost care. The burning process, which has been refined over decades, is continuously developed to offer you outstanding quality for your building project.

Our Yakisugi is the Japanese original, made from Japanese cypress and burned exclusively in Japan. The Nakamoto family has been active in wood production for over one hundred years and has been refining the boards from its own production using the traditional Yakisugi method for more than 60 years.

Shou Sugi Ban: Sustainable from Forest to Wall.

Sustainability is in our DNA!

A Shou Sugi Ban or Yakisugi façade is a particularly sustainable solution for your property. Generational sustainability is deeply rooted in our company. In producing the renewable resource of wood, as well as in the Yakisugi manufacturing process which is entirely free of chemicals, we focus on our carbon footprint at every stage.

For you, the low-maintenance and long-lasting nature of a Shou Sugi Ban façade offers significant cost and ecological benefits.

Shou Sugi Ban: Sustainable from Forest to Wall.

Shou Sugi Ban: High Quality, Climate- and Eco-Friendly

For Sophisticated Design

The unique appearance of Shou Sugi Ban (Yakisugi) is often seen in Europe only as a surface imitation. We offer you the original, enabling you to achieve your design vision with a positive environmental impact. By choosing Shou Sugi Ban (Yakisugi), you are selecting a high-quality product that you can enjoy for many years, thanks to its long lifespan and low maintenance requirements. We’ve compiled a selection of design ideas and reference projects to inspire you with the many ways Yakisugi can be used.

Our Yakisugi (Shou Sugi Ban) products

Overview of our Yakisugi varieties

SUYAKI

The original yakisugi

Suyaki is the original Yakisugi variety and the stand-out surface treatment. The firing process gives it a charred layer of midnight-black soot and its characteristic texture some compare to alligator skin. A definite conversation-starter and the choice for anyone who wants their project to stand out from the crowd.

GENDAI

brushed once

The silky-smooth finish of our Gendai products comes courtesy of a first-pass brushing of the soot layer, while subtly preserving the remnants of the charring process. This has become the go-to choice for many of our customers with outdoor installations and no wonder – it’s ideal whatever your concept and project.

PIKA-PIKA

brushed twice

The vivid contrasts and uneven texture of wood given the Pika-Pika (a Japanese onomatopoeic word meaning ‘shining’ and often used for something visually appealing) treatment come after the soot layer of the charred wood is twice-brushed. Already striking in its natural state, brushing twice along the wood grain intensifies its impact even more.