Forest - Place to Pray, to Work, to Create

The mountains of Ibaraki prefecture present a most attractive sight in November, with exposed grey rock and rust-coloured leaves in the slanting sunlight. Chief amongst equals in terms of natural beauty is Mt. Okukuji Nantai (near Fukuroda Falls, a national scenic location) with its dramatically steep cliffs on the west and south sides. With its severe, volcanic aesthetics, dating from more than 15 million BC, it is unsurprising that it has long been a religious site.

The indigenous Japanese religion, Shinto, posits that rocks, trees and other natural objects have their own associated gods and spirits, and it is not surprising that this area is particularly abundant with them. "Not only did the people living in the village pray here for an abundance at harvest, but the strange rock shape was used as a landmark for sea fishermen, so it was the object of worship from both the mountain and sea dwellers”, Hiromichi Iimura, a history and folklore researcher, explained.

The mountains have played an important role as a Shugendo, a path that worshippers take, in ascetic practices which merge traditional Japanese worship of the mountains with Buddhism. "The 16 Rakan statues of Buddhism are still housed in the rock hole of Kagoiwa at the south of the path, and there is also a waterfall that people purify themselves under during the practice. This is a mountain that has long accepted those religious trainees."

This venerable mountain was once held by the Mito local government in the Edo period, but is now under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Agency of MAFF as a natural recreation forest. Therefore, hiking and trekking courses are well maintained and signposted. "The one for religious trainees is the most difficult of the many courses. The courses offer various levels - ‘strong leg’ course for advanced hikers, with long chain sections, and easier hiking courses which local elementary school students often enjoy. People can choose according to their physical strength and experience. "

The course for advanced hikers certainly challenges visitors, with a series of steep rocky traverses. The altitude itself – at only 654m – is not particularly high, but the climber must continuously protect themselves by keeping one hand on the chains threaded through the rocks. Not assuming that a low altitude must also mean a low difficulty level, visitors should be prepared for a challenging climb in places if they attempt this route.

Mt. Okukuji Nantai has a surprising variation in the plants and trees you encounter as you traverse it. There are many broadleaf trees such as beech and Mongolian oak near the summit, but at lower altitudes the trees are predominantly coniferous, such as cedar and cypress. It is rare for a single mountain to express such variety.

It’s fun to imagine the old days by learning the history of the long interaction between man and nature in this area ".

Ibaraki hosts mountains given over to forestry, as well as those kept in a natural state. Kenichi Sato, who runs Sato Forestry, welcomed us to Hitachiota City. His 156 hectares of mountain were inherited from his father, and Sato now manages it with his own son. From the orderly, pleasing landscape of his forests, it is obvious that he keeps them in a good state of maintenance.

"A good forest is a beautiful forest,” Sato instantly answers. “It's often misunderstood, but good forestry sites don’t necessarily have a lot of trees. First, we fell and carry out some trees in order to create appropriate distance between the remaining trees. It’s also important to spread the sunlight, otherwise the trees would bend as they were competing for it. You can’t do proper forestry without trees, work paths, and plenty of space to fell and collect the trees”.

To tourists, forests have a relaxing, pleasant image, but for those in the forestry industry, it is a workplace that at times can be tough. Sato has been in the industry for 45 years, and has a keen sense of how things have changed over time. "In the past, it was a tree’s age that would make it expensive, but now it is the thickness. It has become more important to have trees which can be cut and used effectively. Forestry is also greatly affected by governmental and administrative decisions, so we have to be flexible, and change with the times."

"There are actually manuals about how to do forestry," he continues, “but they can’t entirely tell you what to do in a given situation. You just move forward sometimes via repeated trial and error. When I get lost, lumber dealers or carpenters are usually willing to solve the problem together, and it’s comforting to think how we all support each other. Nowadays, a passionate new generation are coming, up including many capable women. We can do more if we do it together, even when times are hard. I decided to live happy at one point. It works.”

Next on our list of destinations is Kanbayashi Sawmill in Ishioka City, founded in 1928. Shigekazu Kanbayashi, the third-generation head of the family, also said that he has faith in the younger generation, as Sato does. Kanbayashi has nominated Takumi Hirono, who joined the sawmill 10 years ago, as the heir to the business. He describes Hirono as "a person who can flexibly find value in many things".

Hirono said he was surprised the first time he came to the sawmill: "this is a peculiar place that can keep on doing things in the old-fashioned way", he thought. "Even when the giant factories emerged, this sawmill used to work a lot with local carpenters to make everything people needed for their homes by making it to order. However, the carpenters are getting old, and demands for wooden houses are decreasing significantly now. We thought hard about how to deal with the forest in this time of change. "

One of Hirono's fellows is Masayuki Shimizu, a craft artist. Shimizu presides over "Yaponica," a brand that develops wooden “living” tools, made of cedar, ordered at Kanbayashi Sawmill, and dyed with vegetable dye. He uses wood that is not used by the house builders, which is beneficial for both the sawmill and for Shimizu. 

The thinking behind the brand name is the "hidden property of Japan", a Japanese translation of the scientific name of cedar, "Cryptomeria yaponika". Attracted by its romantic sound, Shimizu was also fascinated by the charms of cedar wood, which has been used throughout Japan since ancient times.