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Exclusive Japanese hardwoods
REVERENCE FOR NATURE. PURITY OF MATERIAL AND FORM. UNSWERVING ATTENTION TO QUALITY.
Long used in traditional Japanese furniture and construction, these gorgeous woods have never before been available as flooring in North America. Through our treasured relationships within the tight-knit circle of suppliers in the rugged mountains off northern Japan, Monarch Plank can now offer exclusive access to these very special materials.
True to the traditions of Japanese design and architecture, the Hokkaido collection venerates these woods by presenting them in pure, minimalist refinement. Offered in wide planks with a clear, ultra-matte finish that showcases the natural color and grain, the Hokkaido Collection caters to those who seek and appreciate understated elegance.
The Evolution Of Japanese Forestry
The somabito are a manifestation of the evolution of Japan’s approach to forest management. Four hundred years ago, Japan had a serious deforestation problem, a consequence of unsustainable logging that had been practiced for centuries to satisfy the demands of nobles for wood for their armies, castles and temples. The works that those nobles created are some of the most magnificent, enduring structures ever built (many of them still stand today), but the ecological cost was high. By the 1600’s, conflict between villagers, who relied on the forests for subsistence, and rulers, who wanted to cut them down for timber, had reached crisis proportions. Beginning around 1670, rural villages began responding to the crisis by establishing plantations of the most valuable species to satisfy the demands of the rulers while preserving natural forest areas for local needs. New techniques for planting and caring for trees were developed, and out of that care emerged the tradition of the somabito. In the centuries that followed, managed forestry continued to develop and expand in a virtuous circle of technical improvements and social institutions supporting sustainable forest use. Today, some 67 percent of the country is forested -- an area over twice as large as the world average, and Japan’s government has set the goal of managing single-species plantations toward a more natural condition for the benefit of wildlife, including the rare golden eagle.
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Shinto: a tradition of forest stewardship
a religion as old as Japan itself. Shinto gods are called kami, sacred spirits that take form in facets of the natural world, such as wind, rain, mountains, rivers… and trees.
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SOMABITO
For centuries, cutting trees for timber was the responsibility of a special class of worker called somabito (“one who works in the mountains”), for whom logging was a Shinto ritual.
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YOKI
One of a somabito’s traditional tools. On the axe-heads are four lines engraved on the right face, representing the elements of land, water, fire and wind, and three lines on the left. The four lines give the tool its name: yo meaning four, and ki meaning elements.
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IN SHINTO, ALL THINGS IN NATURE ARE IMBUED WITH A SACRED ENERGY, FROM A TREE, TO A STONE, TO THE WOOD THAT BUILDS A HOUSE. THE NATURAL WORLD IS VENERATED AND RESPECTED. AT MONARCH PLANK, WE HOLD A SIMILAR REVERENCE FOR THE MATERIALS WE USE. THAT PASSION AND RESPECT FINDS ITS HIGHEST EXPRESSION IN THE HOKKAIDO COLLECTION. WE HOPE YOU’LL ENJOY THIS SACRED TREASURE AS MUCH AS WE DO.
Named after the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, known for its volcanoes, hot springs, snow-clad mountains, and dense forests, the Hokkaido Collection comprises three species:
| Nara: Japanese Oak |
| Tamo: Japanese Ash |
| Kuri: Japanese Chestnut |
Nara, or Japanese Oak, is similar to European Oak but found only in Japan. Due to the slow growing conditions, Nara has a tighter, more refined grain structure than European or any American Oaks. Nara also tends to have less of the pink and yellow undertones often found in European Oak and particularly in American White Oak.
Tamo, or Japanese Ash, is similar to European or American Ash, but has tighter grain and is less yellow in color. Tamo is also less prone to the extreme yellowing that can occur over time with North American and European Ash.
Kuri, or Japanese Chestnut, is a very special offering that is virtually identical to our treasured North American Chestnut, with its Walnut-like grain and light caramel brown color. North American Chestnut was wiped out by a blight and is very hard to find, but Kuri is still abundant in Japan’s forests. Until now, it has been hard to find outside of Japan, and Monarch Plank is very excited to be able to make this gorgeous wood available to the North American market once again. Because all Chestnut species go through a significant color change with exposure to light, changing from a very pale, yellowish brown to a rich, caramel brown, Monarch Plank smokes our Japanese Chestnut before finishing. The smoking process accelerates the darkening of the wood so that the wood has largely reached its mature color by the time you receive it.
