Jump to main content
鷙鳥図屏風 江戸時代、17世紀 /

Japanese cypress (hinoki)

The Japanese cypress is a tall evergreen tree in the Cupressaceae family, is native to Japan, and has long been valued as a building material

     The Japanese cypress, a tree native to Japan, is a tall, evergreen tree in the Cupressaceae family., native to Japan. It reaches heights of 30 to 50 meters 30-50 m and diameters of 1 to 2.5 meters 1-2.5 m. and lives as long as 800 years. The trunks stands straight and has a, with reddish brown bark that splits vertically and peels off in thin strips. The tree bears spherical thinly. Monoecious (with pollen cones and seed cones born separately, but on the same tree), and its bearing globose cones, with male and female flowers appearing around April. It grows Native to Japan in mountainous regions extending south from Fukushima Prefecture south to Shikoku and Kyushu's Yakushima in Kyushu. The Shinshu's Kiso Japanese cypress forest of Japanese cypress trees in Nagano Prefecture is considered grove is counted among the three most beautiful forests in Japan, along with a forest of Thujopsis dolabrata conifers hiba (false arborvitae) grove in Aomori and a forest of sugi (Japanese cedars) grove in Akita.

       Along with Japanese cedar, The Japanese cypress, together with the Japanese cedar, is a tree that has provided support for has been important in people's lives in Japan since the Jomon period (around 14,000-1,000 BC), its uses ranging from timber for pier pilings and fibers for plaiting baskets. The Nihon shoki (Chronicles of Japan, 720) specifies that Japanese cypress should be used to build grand shrines and the like. And Sei Shonagon's Makura no shoshi (Pillow Book, 1002) and other works mention the use of Japanese cypress for braided fences, roof thatching, formal folding fans, and rain hats. with Its timber used as pier pilings, its fibers used to plait baskets, and more. Widely varied uses for the tree are described in the Nihon shoki ("The Chronicles of Japan"), including higaki fences of braided cypress bark, hiwada-buki cypress roof-thatching, hiogi formal folding fans and higasa conical hats mentioned in the Makura no soshi ("The Pillow Book") and other works, along with the instruction that cypress lumber is appropriate for the construction of mizunomiya shrines. In the Middle Ages, to protect temples' cypress and cedar groves, a prohibition on cutting and taking even small trees was prohibitedprescribed. As depicted in the folding screen Rakuchu Rakugai -zu byobu ("Views in and around Kyoto) the City of Kyoto Folding Screen") depicts only the residences of the emperor, shogun, and regents could be thatched with Japanese cypress bark. with hiwada-buki thatched roofs. In the early modern period, with the construction of castle towns and such, large quantities of cypress timber was logged in large quantities at locations including such as Kiso, and the provinces of Hida, Kii, and Tosa. To conserve resources, the position of lumber magistrate was established, For the sake of resource conservation, the position of zairin bugyo (lumber magistrate) was established, and a method of encouraging afforestation called sashisugi hinoki was practiced. In the modern era, particularly following World War II, virtually all the naturally occurring cypress trees were had been felled in the large-scale logging that took place, and artificial afforestation became the primary way to maintain forests. to be mainstream. Prefectures with large planted forests of Japanese cypress trees swathes of artificially regenerated cypress forests today include Gifu, Kochi, Shizuoka, Wakayama, Mie, Ehime, and Nagano.

       Hinoki Japanese cypress wood is fragrant and lustrous, has a straight fine grain, resists rotting, is easily processed, and tends not to warp. straight- and fine-grained, highly decay-resistant, easily processable, and does not tend to warp. Accordingly, it has been used as a construction material for large traditional buildings like palaces, temples, and shrines, and so on, and also to make ships, Buddhist images, hot tubs, etc.bathtubs, and more. In addition to roof thatching, Its bark has been used not only for roof thatching, but also for anchor ropes and raft cords., and a substance called maihada made from The underbark was used to make caulking for as a filling in between boards. Essential oil obtained from the needles and timber is was used for its fragrance, in medicine, medicinally, and as a solvent. It was also used to start fires by friction has also been used to rub wood and set it ablaze in Shinto rituals. Small boughs were are traditionally used in prayers for a good harvest. Among its many cultivars, some are grown as bonsai, others as hedges, Many cultivars exist, and the trees are also grown for use in bonsai, as hedges, and so on.

Related People, Things and Events

Books

Hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood

Related Works

Buddha statues, Buddhist altar fittings, etc. made of hinoki

Hiogi (cypress folding fans), higaki (fences of braided cypress), hiwada (cypress bark for roof-thatching), etc.

Higaki braided fence patterns (kimono)

Hiogi folding fan patterns (kimono)

Search for National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties

Videos

Past Exhibitions

External Links

  • 世界最古の木造建築。建材として檜が使われている。所在地は奈良県生駒郡斑鳩町。

  • 国立科学博物館附属自然教育園内に生息している生物の種名や写真を調べることができる。

  • 国立科学博物館筑波実験植物園内の植物を検索することができる。研究者ノートなど専門的な解説もある。

  • 名称の由来、日本各地の分布、建築材としての特徴、芳香などの産業利用などを紹介する。

  • 国産材および世界中の木材の種類、特徴などを紹介する木材図鑑。檜の木目、材の特徴、用途などを紹介する。

  • 木曽ヒノキについて、特徴などが簡潔にまとめられている。

  • 植物・花の基本情報、育て方などについて「趣味の園芸」の講師陣が執筆。園芸相談Q&Aや特集コーナーがある。「NHKみんなの趣味の園芸」(NHK出版)公式サイト。

References

  1. 平凡社
  2. 小学館
  3. 瀬田勝哉 著,朝日新聞社