A Look Inside the Japanese Lumber Market

Japan is one of the most heavily forested countries worldwide, with more than 70% of available land maintained as forest. The lumber industry and distribution developed based on these geographical conditions, and wooden homes were constructed. 

However, as the times have changed at dizzying speeds since the Second World War, the Japanese lumber industry was left in a difficult situation. We spoke about how the market has changed with Yoshisada Co., Ltd., a company that was founded as a lumber merchant in 1879 and has survived in the industry as an expert in lumber.

In 1879, 12 years after the end of the Edo and the start of the Meiji period, Yoshisada Co., Ltd. was founded as a lumber merchant. The company initially began operations in the town of Matsuida in the Usui District of Gunma Prefecture selling logs taken from the mountains. 

Struck by the hardships of the Second World War, they changed their business to sales of paulownia wood, saw milling, and wholesale trading of lumber, but they always remained involved with lumber and have contributed to the distribution of quality wood from the their base in the Kanto region of Japan.

Sadatoshi Yoshida, executive operating officer and head of sales and marketing (left in photo) talks about the allure of Japanese lumber as follows. 

   “Having been born and raised in Adachi City in Tokyo, my first experiences with houses were with fully-wooden Japanese houses. Wood absorbs moisture, so you feel a warmth when walking barefoot or touching the wood with your hands, and the gentle scent of wood was always wafting through the air.”

He also holds an emotional attachment to wood grain, as it expresses the character of the wood.
 
  “The texture of the wood grain is richer in Japanese cedar and cypress when compared to lumber from overseas. When I was a child, I used to lay in bed and look up at the grain in the ceiling, and I enjoyed seeing monsters in the patterns or imagining many other things.”     

However, the state of domestic lumber has become more dire due to societal changes. An increase in lumber imports was promoted with emergency measures meant to stabilize lumber prices in 1961.

Since then, attention has increasingly been given towards new construction, with new earthquake proofing standards introduced with the revisions to the Buildings Standards Act in 1981 and changes in lumber demand in the housing industry in the 90’s.

To keep the company afloat, Yoshisada got involved in the construction business in 1993. They entered the precut wood business in 1994, and established their own precut wood factory in Kumagaya in 2002.

Including their building material and precut wood departments, they are now a comprehensive housing material company offering everything from blueprint creation and processing to final products.

When full liberalization of lumber imports began in 1964, the demand for cheap, foreign lumber increased and demand for domestic lumber decreased, leading to a decline in the domestic lumber industry. 

With these kinds of major changes going on, Yoshisada began sales of foreign-produced lumber, including European red pine and American pine and hemlock. Sadatoshi says that currently, 70% of the lumber used in Japan is produced overseas. He tells us about the complicated feelings he has for the spread of foreign-produced lumber.     

The Precut Wood Business, Mechanizing the Skills of Japanese Carpenters

Expanding their operations along with the times, Yoshisada developed their precut wood business by combining their pride as lumber experts, knowledge gained from carpenters, and the latest technology.

Precut wood refers to cutting materials and connecting joints at the factory before on-site construction of wooden homes. Prior to the popularization of this technology, carpenters generally built homes while working with the materials on-site.

By mechanically processing wood beforehand at the factory with precut techniques, it became possible to smoothly assemble the wood on-site and build homes more efficiently. 

They use iroha ordering, a traditional methods for ordering Japanese characters, to number the joints. This is a holdover from a time when carpenters carried out this work.

With precut wood that utilizes the knowledge and ingenuity of carpenters, it has become possible to pass down timber framework methods used in old houses and the five-story pagoda at Hōryū-ji built with traditional Japanese construction techniques. 

Compared to the method of assembling surfaces even with similar wooden houses in 2x4 construction from North America, timber framework methods create a framework connecting joints together, meaning that the precision of these joints is essential.

Yoshimasa Minegishi is the head of the production management division in the precut department and is a registered architect with a first-class license. He also formerly worked as a carpenter before his current job. He talks about his experiences observing the worlds of both human strength and digitalization.     

“Efficiency has greatly improved through mechanization. For example, a machine can finish in half a day what a carpenter would need 3 weeks to complete. With the pressing issue of a decline in the number of carpenters, precut wood is advantageous in that it improves efficiency while passing on artisan techniques.”

Saori Oda is a young employee who works in the first sales division, serving as a bridge between the precut wood factory and customers. “I have always enjoyed looking at residential buildings in showrooms and at expos, and I learned about Yoshisada while I was searching for jobs in the housing industry.”

Her job duties include visiting lumber dealers that buy wood and suggesting precut wood. After that, she picks up blueprints from builders, architects, and other clients, and determines specifications, wood type, and finishes for each room based on the blueprints.

Lumber merchants can accidentally fall in love with lumber so much so that they don’t want to sell it upon seeing a round log with many growth rings and beautiful grain. When looking at the cross section, the countless growth rings create a gorgeous pattern that might remind you of the German baumkuchen cake.

Solid wood allows you to dynamically enjoy this kind of tree beauty. Solid wood refers to lumber that hasn’t been altered since it was cut down, and is generally used in columns, beams, fixtures, flooring, stairs, and more.

The sense of depth and warmth are a big part of what is so appealing, but it can also easily be affected by humidity and can easily warp or crack. 

To further expand their operations and ensure the employment of their employees, it is essential for Yoshisada to improve their network of distribution bases and move into new business fields. Sadatoshi Yoshida offered us these words at the end of our visit.  

“I want to use these trees carefully, as they’ve been cared for by generations of Japanese people. Because of the beautiful wood grain and wonderful smells, I want to use this wood not as fuel in biomass, but in homes as something that is a part of people’s lives. I believe that our mission is to protect the domestic lumber market.”