61–70 of 205 posts
>This is an ancient method, developed in the 14th century Isn't it interesting, how most of the history of East Asia just has label "ancient" slapped onto it in pop-culture?
The standards for "ancient" are simply relative to your own cultural history. A 200 year old building in the US is ancient - a 800 year old building in Germany is also ancient.
Coppicing, Hedge laying, Bocage, drystone walling, wattle-and-daub are all domestic comparable ancient crafts of Europe. The point being that probably only drystone walling is valued in a way comparable to the Japanese version of Coppicing, which really has been transformed into an artform. European coppices are cut close to the rootstock and cut down far younger for use as poles, for wood turning, for hedge laying.…
Does the Japanese government pay for or in some way support articles like this? Do people in Japan get articles about how amazing coppicing is in the UK? Articles like this about Japan make me feel a bit weird but I kind of wish we were better at fetishising our own produce and practices like we do with the Japanese.
Norway was looking for new salmon markets in the 90s and came up with the idea of salmon sushi
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501693/how-norwegian-sal...
Kirin beer was started by a Norwegian brewer in 1869.
Coppicing, Hedge laying, Bocage, drystone walling, wattle-and-daub are all domestic comparable ancient crafts of Europe. The point being that probably only drystone walling is valued in a way comparable to the Japanese version of Coppicing, which really has been transformed into an artform. European coppices are cut close to the rootstock and cut down far younger for use as poles, for wood turning, for hedge laying.…
Thanks for the googling for rabbit holes. The joinery in traditional Japanese construction is remarkably impressive in its craftsmanship. I've heard it was born from a combination of expensive and poor quality iron for nails (although the same could be said in European construction - hence the phrase, "dead as a door nail") and the desire to be able to relocate Shinto shrines without damage (which required joints tha…
Coppicing, Hedge laying, Bocage, drystone walling, wattle-and-daub are all domestic comparable ancient crafts of Europe. The point being that probably only drystone walling is valued in a way comparable to the Japanese version of Coppicing, which really has been transformed into an artform. European coppices are cut close to the rootstock and cut down far younger for use as poles, for wood turning, for hedge laying.…
EDIT: They are! (kinda) The London Bell Foundry are fighting to save the original site and keep it running[4].
There's a few old surviving family businesses in the UK though[2].
If you want really old and still operating I would look at the Livery Companies of the City of London. They're not family businesses obviously but the oldest, Worshipful Company of Mercers[3] got its royal charter in 1394 but existed for long before that. How long ago? No body knows for sure but at least 12th century.
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1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_Bell_Foundry
2. https://realbusiness.co.uk/the-oldest-family-businesses-in-b...
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worshipful_Company_of_Mercers
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This technique doesn't really offer a solution: as a rule, the harder and better quality the wood, the slower it grows, so the possibility to supply more when demand is high is limited, which makes the wood more expensive, so the temptation of "poaching" it is greater.
The cedar shoots in this article are claimed to be stronger and to grow quicker though
That is not the property people need everywhere timber is used. Perhaps the finger board of a violin needs to be hard. The wooden bed of a scaffolding (and they are still wood in the uk) lorry needs to be tough and durable. An electric guitar body needs a certain density.
Coppice poles are not good for any of these things.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This technique doesn't really offer a solution: as a rule, the harder and better quality the wood, the slower it grows, so the possibility to supply more when demand is high is limited, which makes the wood more expensive, so the temptation of "poaching" it is greater.
Trees don't move; it's perfectly possible to guard them from poachers.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The cedar shoots in this article are claimed to be stronger and to grow quicker though
They probably mean 'stronger' in the sense of a beam, and stronger in the sense of stronger than the cedar that is not grown like that. This is probably due to the straight grain and lack of knots. That is not the property people need everywhere timber is used. Perhaps the finger board of a violin needs to be hard. The wooden bed of a scaffolding (and they are still wood in the uk) lorry needs to be tough and durable…
Does the Japanese government pay for or in some way support articles like this? Do people in Japan get articles about how amazing coppicing is in the UK? Articles like this about Japan make me feel a bit weird but I kind of wish we were better at fetishising our own produce and practices like we do with the Japanese.
> Do people in Japan get articles about how amazing coppicing is in the UK? Not quite but there is a fair bit of interest in UK culture to a point where there are “England fairs” in department stores and malls time to time. That being said I’m also kinda sick of people using Japanese words instead of direct translation for some reason. Kaizen and Ikigai comes to mind.
I can understand that though - without the translation, the terms become more specific in English usage. Take Kaizen, or Continuous Improvement. Specifically using the Japanese term shows what sort of continuous improvement you're doing. I notice, however, that it's also apparently a trademark....
The ancient japanese governments restricted the peasants from destroying the allmende. No hunting with weapons, only traps. No chopping down trees. Its the only way a society on a island with limitations can thrive. This is a hack to circumvent the no lumbering rule. As far as im aware, similar rules never were applied in europe, just all things chopped down, and then some state forrests and macchia.