At 3:07 PM 97.5.8, James Lawrence wrote:
> Australia. There is potential for larger growers to export to
> Japan which purchases over 90% of all the Paulownia timber
> traded internationally. About 80% of Paulownia timber used in
> Japan is made into plywood and parts for furniture, 12% is made
> into small boxes and much of the remainder is used for clogs and
> traditional musical instruments. In 1995 Japan imported a total
In Japan Kiri (Paulownia) is generally supposed to be special material for a Japanese style chest with drawers (Tansu), a box for valuable things, and musical instrument called Koto.
As for a chest, although in Japan western style products are generally used, traditional dress, kimono is kept in Kiri Tansu, of at least in a box made of Kiri. This is a kind of traditional manner, but greatly because Kiri protects (or is deeply believed to protect) kimono from fire. In modern age, kimono is as expensive as a jewel. That would actually be because of high prosity in its wood. Then Kiri is often used for drawers of quality (expenxive) western style chest and inner box of a safe.
You will know much more about Kiri Tansu, Japanese conception on Kiri wood and even amazing pricing of the products (more than 10,000, even 20,000 US$ for one Tansu) with many high quality pics on the great web site of a Kiri Tansu manufacturer.
http://www.tansu.com/index-e.html (in English)
As for a boxes, Kiri boxes (solid) is generally used for precious things such as traditional arts like earthenware, scrolls, or prize medals or even verious quality foods. To "add commercial value" they sell rather ordinary products with Kiri boxes. Those "vanity boxes" are made of not solid Kiri but plywood. I suppose that would be main usage of Kiri plywood, which would be waste of resource by stupid commercialism, because those boxes will go to a garbage can right after they have reached consumers.
Musical instruments Koto, you can see the pic of Koto at
http://www.shimamura.co.jp/japanese/jkoto/jkoto.html (in Japanese)
Here perdon me to refer from the post I made to "soc.culture.japan.moderated" last month.
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If you stick to the sound, you should find an old (used) koto. Acoustic
body of koto is made of paulownia wood. Older the better it sounds, if
the koto has been skilfully maintained and played for years, just the
same as another wooden acoustic instruments.
Price mainly is influenced by its appearances. For the body, if the
grain lookes beautifully, it is expencive, but little effects to the
quality of its sound. Koto is seen to be one dragon. Dragon's head and
tail are beautifully ornamented by lacquer sometimes using gold, ivory
(now impossible) and pearl shells , framed by true rosewoods/ebony in
case of expensive one. Both sides of the body are generally plain but in
some limited products they also lacquerd and ornamented. Such a craft of
koto is awfully expensive. In case of ceaper Koto, heads and tails are
simply framed by another hardwood. Those never effects the sounds. Then
my mother used to bring one simply ornamented but had the best sound to
stages/studios.
Strings are made of silk, but it is common for daily practice to use
nylon strings. To strech the string needs special skill, which generally
is done by a specialist coming from koto shop. You tune this by
positioning bridges (JI) standing on the body under each 13 strings . Ji
and surface of both bridge was made of ivory in old days.
By the way, the word "koto" is for harp generally. Precisely, Japanese
koto with 13 strings is "sou no koto", and koto music is " sou kyoku".
Yes as Jean said, if you go to those expensive shops, they would answer
such a price (added note: 10,000US$ at least) . It sounds like buying a silver ring at Tifannys. *s*
Im not sure but perhaps you can buy "practice use" new koto at koto
shop (there are many listed on a yellow page) for less than 2,000 US$.
Because about 20 years ago, my mother used to recommend new students to
buy their first koto for around 100,000 yen, or 800US$. It doesnt always
mean that lower priced one sounds worse, in comparison with millions US$
one, as I posted here before.
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At 8:32 PM 97.5.7, Tom Remaley wrote:
> ornamental and non-structural uses. Legend has it that at one time in
> Japanese history these trees could only be used by royalty (perhaps someone
> could respond on that point).
I regret that Im not sure about this. But pehaps like this. In old era, the goverment (shogunate) ofter prohibited the common people's "extravagance", in which they noticed on much trivial things, especilly on material. For example prohibition of silks for clothes, rice for foods etc. Then it might happen to Kiri for wood material.
By the way, I remember perhaps on American Forestry magagine, I read an article saying from parks, avenue or so, on the US western region, Paulownia trees "disappear" in the night, then they must have gone to Japan.
My 50 yen.
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Toshiaki Endo
Silvicultural Engineering Unit,
Forestry and Forest Products Res. Inst.
Matsunosato-1, Kukizaiki, Inashiki,
Ibaraki 305, Japan
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