YAKISUGI
ANCIENT PROCESS + MODERN SOUND
We were first introduced to the process of YAKISUGI, or shou sugi ban, from an article in the April 2009 issue of Dwell Magazine featuring the visionary architect Terunobu Fujimori. His teahouses and structures incorporating this traditional material captivated my imagination as I romanticized the idea of charring planks of wood for the rest of my life to create enchanting spaces like his. Like the magical places you dreamed of as a child existing in the real world, functional, but with no less attention given to the impractical creative aesthetic whose sole purpose is to evoke curiosity, creativity and inspiration.
The word yakisugi means “to heat cypress with fire”. At some point the original kanji was translated, and is more commonly referred to in Europe and the West, as shou sugi ban. The traditional Japanese process involves strapping three cypress boards together to make a sort of chimney. Fujimori is shown in the article standing a flue of wood upright against a large and ancient looking herringbone stone wall. *swoon*. A fire is started at the base and coaxed up the length of the wood boards. As the fire shoots out of the top, the boards are allowed to burn long enough to achieve a deeply charred surface. Sometimes the wood is then scrubbed down to reveal a raised accentuated grain blackened with soot. Otherwise the wood remains unbrushed, retaining the characteristic undulating crackle resembling reptile skin.
Traditionally this treatment was performed to preserve wood from the effects of decay due to environmental factors and even as a prevention against future potential fires. We fell in love with the technique for the connection it demands with the process and of the hauntingly beautiful effect the process has on the wood. We call it painting with fire.
We’ve spent years perfecting this technique at High Moon Speaker Co. and we are proud to finally offer our High Desert Loudspeaker in YAKISUGI. The first of their kind in existence today, we hope that you will appreciate the artistry that has gone into each pair of speakers. Production will be limited to 20 sets per year, and each run will be released in small quantities at intervals throughout the year in order to maintain the highest level of quality.