No cutting trees yet, 200% stronger wood: Japan’s 600-year-old technique for producing wood is a lesson on sustainable forestry

In a world rampant with deforestation, unchecked urbanization, and excessive resource consumption, we barely give a thought to how badly our daily choices are impacting nature. The consequences are visible in climate change, extreme weather events, shrinking water bodies, and declining biodiversity. But Japan seems to have found a way to harvest premium timber without cutting down trees indiscriminately, and this traditional practice has its roots in the 14th century. Daisugi is a 600-year-old Japanese method of pruning and harvesting that produces strong, durable wood without having to use the axe.

Daisugi technique origin

Daisugi is a sustainable forestry practise which is believed to have originated in Kitayama city, almost 20 km northwest of Kyoto. As per a report by Lampoon magazine, legend has it that Kyoto’s foremost tea master, Sen-No-Rikyu, developed a deep appreciation for the exceptional quality of Kitayama cedar, inspiring the technique that would later become known as Daisugi.


Kyoto’s rugged and mountainous terrain made it difficult to cultivate and grow trees. Additionally, there was also an inadequate supply of timber for use in manufacturing and building homes. An absence of natural resources led the locals to opt for a unique approach, influenced by bonsai pruning techniques.

Daisugu method: How are woods produced

The Daisugi method involves carefully pruning cedar trees so that multiple straight shoots grow upward from a single trunk. These shoots eventually develop into long, uniform, knot-free timber prized for construction and craftsmanship. Instead of planting and felling new trees repeatedly, the technique turns one mature cedar into a living platform that continuously produces new wood.

Over time, the tree takes on a distinctive palm-like appearance, with several vertical trunks emerging from the top. Because the original ‘mother tree’ remains alive, foresters can harvest the new growth every few decades, allowing a single tree to yield dozens of timber logs over its lifetime. The shoots are gently pruned by hand every 2 years, while harvesting takes 20 years. The old 'tree stock' can grow up to a hundred shoots at a time.

The wood produced with the Daisugu technique is 140% more flexible as well as 200% denser and stronger than standard cedar. It is also extremely durable. Daisugi is mostly used in gardens or bonsai today.