320-Year-Old Japanese Heritage Shōya House

[Bonsai Nut]

For people who are not familiar with the Huntington Library and Gardens, it is one of the top ten museums in the US. Calling it a "museum" is an under-statement. It is actually a 130 acre CAMPUS of museums, including the main research library and residence, various art museums, and the extensive botanic gardens, which include a large Chinese garden, a large Japanese garden and zen garden, and (in addition to other spaces) a bonsai pavilion that includes trees that have been donated from some of the top names in US bonsai.



With that lead-in, I was aware that they had a large historic building that had been donated by an important Japanese family, and that they had been painstakingly working with traditional Japanese artisans and experts to disassemble the building and move it to California, where it will be reassembled on the Japanese garden grounds. This week they released an important update - and the notice that the Japanese Heritage Shōya House will open in Fall 2023. Check out the article!!

320-Year-Old Japanese Heritage Shōya House​

 

[Lutonian]

Very cool, kew gardens also has an imported Japanese house different era and style though and a large gate too (i think the gate is a replica though).

Bamboo Garden and Minka House | Kew

Dip into a thicket of tall grasses to discover a traditional Japanese farmhouse nestled off the beaten track.

www.kew.org

I cant imagine the amount of work it is to ship a whole building across the world and reassemble it again.

 

[hemmy]

I definitely miss not living near the Huntington, it is a special place. But it was very cool to watch the progress and see the beautiful wood bones of the structure as it was reconstructed.

With the public access to this building, I believe there are also going to be changes to the bonsai shade house area so that the public has some ability to see or interact with volunteers working on trees.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

With the public access to this building, I believe there are also going to be changes to the bonsai shade house area so that the public has some ability to see or interact with volunteers working on trees.

Yes...

 

[Maiden69]

I cant imagine the amount of work it is to ship a whole building across the world and reassemble it again.

I know it is hard to believe, but this task is much easier than you would expect with the Japanese wood working methods and skills. Western wood working use a lot of nails/screws/glue/etc... where Japan craftsman use no glue or metal in their building. Taking a building like this apart and putting it back together is like a giant lego structure. All the pieces are labeled as they are taken apart and then assembled back together in order. I subscribe to a few Japanese woodworking channels and the precision in which they used to build those houses is amazing.

This is a modern Japanese house, built in Japan to be reassembled in the US. This one uses metal fasteners, but completely different from what we use here.

 

[Lutonian]

I know it is hard to believe, but this task is much easier than you would expect with the Japanese wood working methods and skills. Western wood working use a lot of nails/screws/glue/etc... where Japan craftsman use no glue or metal in their building. Taking a building like this apart and putting it back together is like a giant lego structure. All the pieces are labeled as they are taken apart and then assembled back together in order. I subscribe to a few Japanese woodworking channels and the precision in which they used to build those houses is amazing.

This is a modern Japanese house, built in Japan to be reassembled in the US. This one uses metal fasteners, but completely different from what we use here.

That a modern building in the video, it might be simpler than i think i don't have a background in carpentry. but i would assume that if the building has been standing for 320 years the wood would have changed shape ect. we have museum down the road with a few buildings brought from around the country and reassembled. The cottage in the link was originally located a 2 min walk from my house (before my time) and moved to the museum there are no glue (unless you consider mortar to be glue lol) or nails in this construction, just mortise and tenon and a lot of treenails . I would think the age of the building adds a layer of complexity to disassembling and reassembling, plus all the logistics involved in shipping. still sound like a challenge to me.

Leagrave Cottages -

An 18th-century barn converted into cottages This building started life as an 18th century barn in Leagrave, near Luton in Bedfordshire. The barn was converted into cottages in the 1770s. The date of conversion was confirmed by the discovery of a mint condition George III copper farthing under...

coam.org.uk

 

[luvinthemountains]

I know it is hard to believe, but this task is much easier than you would expect with the Japanese wood working methods and skills. Western wood working use a lot of nails/screws/glue/etc... where Japan craftsman use no glue or metal in their building. Taking a building like this apart and putting it back together is like a giant lego structure. All the pieces are labeled as they are taken apart and then assembled back together in order. I subscribe to a few Japanese woodworking channels and the precision in which they used to build those houses is amazing.

This is a modern Japanese house, built in Japan to be reassembled in the US. This one uses metal fasteners, but completely different from what we use here.

I hardly expected to see a video about this house when I signed on this morning. Built by my employer!

 

[Maiden69]

but i would assume that if the building has been standing for 320 years the wood would have changed shape ect

Well season wood from centuries ago moves slightly with the weather... but not to the point to change shape.

To put this into bonsai sense, the growth rings in old wood (before we started harvesting renewable forests) are very small and tight, they were grown through centuries without man help. The rings on the wood you buy now are huge in comparison, because they are grown at a faster pace. The less rings per inch, the less stable the wood is. This is why you see very old houses with wood planks that are still straight, yet it is extremely hard to go to any hardware store and find a decent 2x4 that is straight.

While this picture depicts the difference of at 2x4 in size through the years, you can clearly see the difference in the growth rings as well. That 1920 and 1960 lumber ain't moving much at all.

Old Versus New: Does Old Growth Wood Really Make a Difference? - Russell Rowland, Inc.

Thanks to over-harvesting, new growth wood replaced old growth wood as the primary source used for construction. But does it really make a difference?

russrow.com

The biggest benefit of old growth wood is the higher density. Older trees that grow naturally develop tighter growth rings which creates more robust lumber. The tighter growth rings allow the wood to have greater capacities. Also, old growth wood has natural rot-resistant properties and more firmness, meaning it doesn’t shrink and expand as much as new growth wood.

Built by my employer!

For a moment I thought you worked with Matt, then remember this house was constructed by a different company, Woodsite Homes. Matt does some awesome work here in Texas, and lately has been collaborating with other companies around the US. I am seriously considering buying land and contracting him for our final "retirement" home once the kiddo grows up and leaves.

 

[19Mateo83]

the precision in which they used to build those houses is amazing.

Japanese joinery in general is insane. I’m a carpenter and I have used little bits of it here and there, unless you do it every day it will leave you scratching your head and cussing. The accuracy in which the cuts are laid out and the precision cutting it takes to get the joints to fit right is mind boggling… unless your a japanese carpenter

 

[Lutonian]

Well season wood from centuries ago moves slightly with the weather... but not to the point to change shape.

To put this into bonsai sense, the growth rings in old wood (before we started harvesting renewable forests) are very small and tight, they were grown through centuries without man help. The rings on the wood you buy now are huge in comparison, because they are grown at a faster pace. The less rings per inch, the less stable the wood is. This is why you see very old houses with wood planks that are still straight, yet it is extremely hard to go to any hardware store and find a decent 2x4 that is straight.

While this picture depicts the difference of at 2x4 in size through the years, you can clearly see the difference in the growth rings as well. That 1920 and 1960 lumber ain't moving much at all.
View attachment 465307

Old Versus New: Does Old Growth Wood Really Make a Difference? - Russell Rowland, Inc.

Thanks to over-harvesting, new growth wood replaced old growth wood as the primary source used for construction. But does it really make a difference?

russrow.com

For a moment I thought you worked with Matt, then remember this house was constructed by a different company, Woodsite Homes. Matt does some awesome work here in Texas, and lately has been collaborating with other companies around the US. I am seriously considering buying land and contracting him for our final "retirement" home once the kiddo grows up and leaves.

I would have assumed that this timber is under load and through the years would have settled into a very slightly different shape I'm talking mm or fractions of mm and we have no information on the wood used. I know about the decline in timber quality over the years due to modern tree farming methods and tree improvement breading programs etc. Still is is interesting to see the side by side comparisons of the 2x4 (are the all the same species?)

 

[Maiden69]

Still is is interesting to see the side by side comparisons of the 2x4 (are the all the same species?)

Hard to tell if they are the same species, but they could be.

 

[Lutonian]

Hard to tell if they are the same species, but they could be.

Comparing ring size in 2x4 pictured might not mean much if there different species or even different cultivars of the same species as growth rates may vary even in the same climate.

 

[Maiden69]

Comparing ring size in 2x4 pictured might not mean much if there different species or even different cultivars of the same species as growth rates may vary even in the same climate.

WOOD

The difference between old growth wood and new growth wood and the products they make is like the difference between granite and paper.

hullworks.com

Old Versus New: Does Old Growth Wood Really Make a Difference? - Russell Rowland, Inc.

Thanks to over-harvesting, new growth wood replaced old growth wood as the primary source used for construction. But does it really make a difference?

russrow.com

This is a topic very common among wood workers, and why old growth timber is so much more expensive than lumber farmed wood.

Surprisingly, Michaels blog today hits about the same thing on the effect on deadwood on a young tree.

Reworking a Taiwan Juniper

A great honor to work on this Taiwan Juniper, owned by a client of Andrew Robson’s, here in the States. It’s not common to see one of this quality traipse through Oregon. Taiwan Juniper isn’t at i…

crataegus.com

 

[Lutonian]

WOOD

The difference between old growth wood and new growth wood and the products they make is like the difference between granite and paper.

hullworks.com

Old Versus New: Does Old Growth Wood Really Make a Difference? - Russell Rowland, Inc.

Thanks to over-harvesting, new growth wood replaced old growth wood as the primary source used for construction. But does it really make a difference?

russrow.com

This is a topic very common among wood workers, and why old growth timber is so much more expensive than lumber farmed wood.

Surprisingly, Michaels blog today hits about the same thing on the effect on deadwood on a young tree.

Reworking a Taiwan Juniper

A great honor to work on this Taiwan Juniper, owned by a client of Andrew Robson’s, here in the States. It’s not common to see one of this quality traipse through Oregon. Taiwan Juniper isn’t at i…

crataegus.com

I am aware of the difference in old growth and farmed timber, was just stating that the 2x4 comparison photo does not mean much if there different species pictured.

 

[LuZiKui]

Well season wood from centuries ago moves slightly with the weather... but not to the point to change shape.

To put this into bonsai sense, the growth rings in old wood (before we started harvesting renewable forests) are very small and tight, they were grown through centuries without man help. The rings on the wood you buy now are huge in comparison, because they are grown at a faster pace. The less rings per inch, the less stable the wood is. This is why you see very old houses with wood planks that are still straight, yet it is extremely hard to go to any hardware store and find a decent 2x4 that is straight.

While this picture depicts the difference of at 2x4 in size through the years, you can clearly see the difference in the growth rings as well. That 1920 and 1960 lumber ain't moving much at all.

Old Versus New: Does Old Growth Wood Really Make a Difference? - Russell Rowland, Inc.

Thanks to over-harvesting, new growth wood replaced old growth wood as the primary source used for construction. But does it really make a difference?

russrow.com

For a moment I thought you worked with Matt, then remember this house was constructed by a different company, Woodsite Homes. Matt does some awesome work here in Texas, and lately has been collaborating with other companies around the US. I am seriously considering buying land and contracting him for our final "retirement" home once the kiddo grows up and leaves.

My grandpa passed away a few years ago and I got a handful of his old tools. He built a lot of his own tool cases and this socket set was in a case he made using a 2x6 to hold all the sockets. The first thing I noticed was how close the growth rings were compared to newer lumber. Pretty interesting stuff.

(new 2x6 on the right for comparison)

 

[Frozentreehugger]

My house is in a small town . The land was purchased in 1893 . For tax reasons . In 1896 . The value went from 250 $ to 2700$ we assume that’s when the house was built . There is definitely some interesting old growth . Wood involved . I’m no wood worker . But my uncle is and went thru the house with me and told me what most is . Pic is step of the staircase . Eastern white pine there way harder than any pine I have seen . Another example is the beams in the basement white elm . You can not drive a nail into one . The sharp end just blunts and the bail bends . .