ABSTRACT
Cryptomeria japonica, or Japanese cedar, is known as sugi in the Japanese language. The tree species has been largely planted in the city suburbs and mountain slopes in order to supply materials for the construction of traditional architecture. In Japanese architecture, it is mostly used in what is referred to as Sukiya style architecture, a style that is highly valued throughout Japan and especially in Kyoto, where many historical tea and residential pavilions still remain. Some varieties of sugi have been grown intensively just north of the city in a region identified as Kitayama for centuries, but their production intensified since the end of World War II. Nowadays, the Kitayama Sugi tree is a label with a “controlled designation of origin.” It is used in the restoration of tea pavilions and other buildings in the Sukiya style, among others. Because of how the tree has been used in traditional architecture, Kitayama Sugi is grown applying unique silvicultural methods. Around its production, social organization and cultural practices related to cultivation and harvesting have developed. The appreciation for the tree includes a desire to preserve the aesthetics of rooms, houses and other buildings built in the Sukiya style, the related knowledge and practices, and the social organization formed surrounding Kitayama Sugi production. This includes, for instance, the preservation of the original mother tree from which the Kitayama Sugi plantations originated, the preservation of the cultural landscapes in and around the villages where the production and distribution are centered, and the knowledge and practices related to the cultivation and production of logs.
