Whenever you have a quiet evening, I highly recommend you check out this 50 minute documentary about plastering craftsmanship in Japan. I’m not sure when this was produced, but not anytime too recently. The production has that smooth, slow, gentle vibe that will whisk you away. You don’t need to understand Japanese to glean a lot of valuable information about the process and workflow of creating beautiful clay and lime walls. Much respect to the sakan. This is heavenly.
Shikkui is a type of lime plaster used throughout Japan, with deceptively simple ingredients and a wide range of applications. In use since the 6th century, shikkui is a very thin finish application typically used to protect large uninterrupted wall surfaces on castles and storehouses (or ‘kura’). It can be polished to a high level and because it has a high fiber content and frequently has no aggregate added, it’s flexible, too.
During the week of filming for “Who Wants to Come to Japan?”, I visited a renowned Japanese sakan, Shuhei Hasado and he taught me more about how to make shikkui and apply it.
I’m back home from Japan. I can think of no better word to describe the trip than ‘whirlwind’. It was very full and varied, and it’s taken me over a week to feel settled back into home life and routine. (The jet lag on the way there was almost nonexistent, but it hit me like a sack o’ potatoes on the return trip.)
It’s hard to summarize such a long trip, so I won’t really try. I’ll say this, though — I definitely want to return, and plan on it at some point. My goal right now is to document some of my trip highlights in a series of blog posts. I can’t share much about the first week (yet), so things will have to be out of chronological order. Not that it matters.
Enough jabbering, let’s get on to the good stuff. Here are some pretty pictures of clay walls and kura (storehouses) in the lovely city of Kurashiki, a small historic city I loved exploring.
A white clay plaster finish meets the earthen floor made with site soil
This winter, I had the chance to revisit a home that I worked on last spring. The homeowners have moved in and it was very sweet to see the house in a finished state. It’s a great feeling to contribute work and then see everything tied together in the end. The finished look is great — the earthen floor looks smooth and feels soft on the feet and the clay plastered walls add brightness and texture. Look ahead to see more pictures.
Read ahead for some tips on how to make these ergonomic Japanese plaster hawks
Japanese-style plaster hawks are a comfortable, ergonomic alternative to the typical hawk design you come across in the states. Best of all, you can very easily make your own with only a few basic materials and customize the proportions to your liking. Here’s how you make your own Japanese plaster hawk.
Make your own plaster practice board with a scrap of plywood
You don’t need to build a natural home to experience the joy that is natural plaster. If you want to experiment with clay and lime plaster, you can get some valuable practice with some very simple scrap materials. Read ahead and I’ll show you how.
Traditional Japanese interior with natural plaster finish
Today, I present you with two websites that shed a bright light on the magic of traditional building and natural plasters of Japan. Japan has a long history of the use of natural clay and lime plasters in construction. Thankfully, there still exists a wealth of knowledge of these traditional finishes, and skilled craftspeople are keeping the practices and recipes alive.
Kyle Holzhueter is an American-born builder, consultant, researcher and educator specializing in natural building techniques, including straw bale building and clay and lime plasters. He has taken up full-time residence in Japan, where he’s been formally trained in traditional plastering. His websites are a treasure trove with some incredible building documentation, including the recipes, mixing, and application of some of the most interesting and refined natural plasters I have ever seen.
The west side of our straw bale house
I’ve posted a goodly number of images of the interior of our straw bale house ‘Strawtron’, but fewer of the exterior. Here’s a few photos to peruse and some explanation for our ‘exterior design’ choices. Much of how we designed the exterior was based on the local climate, orientation to the sun, functionality, and aesthetics. I think the function, look, and feel of the exterior of the home is as important or more (in some cases) than the interior.
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These 300mm rigid Japanese trowels are for sale
I have two Japanese trowels for sale, excellent for natural plaster work, whether it be clay or lime. These have seen almost no use, as can be seen in the included photos here. (I have a third, turns out three of these is too many!) It’s time to pass these on to another builder who will put these to work. Read ahead for more details if you’re interested!
Japanese trowels are some of the most prized for natural plaster work (image source: JapaneseTrowels.com)
April thinks I have a compulsion for Japanese tools. I think she may be on to something, but I’ve got a pretty good excuse. Very generally speaking, Japanese tools are often well designed and manufactured, and the plaster tools are not unlike the acclaimed kitchen knives and woodworking tools. Japanese trowels are made with a careful level of attention in an incredible assortment of sizes and shapes, and different types of steel depending on the purpose.
Clay and lime plaster traditions go way back in Japanese architecture, so the craftspeople and blacksmiths there have had quite a bit of time to develop highly refined tools for the work of spreading and smoothing plaster. Today, Japanese trowels are quite popular amongst folks doing natural plaster work all over the globe.
Hi there, I’m Ziggy. In 2008, I launched The Year of Mud while building my first natural home. This blog is a collection of personal stories and experiences building with clay, straw, and wood over the past 15+ years. A few of the things that get me fired up are natural plasters, timber framing, & Japanese architecture. Since 2012, we’ve been hosting Natural Building Workshops so you can learn essential skills to build your own natural home.
