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.
I’m a big sucker for the series Begin Japanology / Japanology Plus. It’s a long-running TV series that dives into specific aspects of Japanese culture, hosted by the mild-mannered Peter Barakan. The premise and delivery are very simple, and there’s an episode for seemingly everything Japanese.
Recently, an episode devoted to Japanese plastering was released. It’s an informative, inspiring look at the history of plastering craft, and some of the newer work being done today.
One word: storehouses. Check it out!
Did you know that you can polish clay plaster so that it has a reflective mirror finish? It looks spectacular, and Benito Steen (son of Athena and Bill Steen, straw bale experts of the southwest) has a new video describing his process for achieving the effect. Benito has done a great job describing the process in clear, simple term. The video is beautiful to watch, too.
Check it out above and learn for yourself how to make a polished clay plaster finish with very simple ingredients. Hope to see more videos like this soon!
https://youtu.be/8Bnjl6unKhw
I was excited to find this video documentary about Japanese clay plaster as it’s currently being practiced by sakan (a.k.a., traditional plasterers). From what I gather, clay plaster is a niche craft in Japan, but the tradition has been unbroken for hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s not practiced as widely as it once was, yet the quality of the work that is done is exceptional. It’s serious business, and absolutely beautiful and inspiring too.
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Our friend Dan Durica of Hardcore Sustainable visited us here at home in Berea, Kentucky earlier in the spring. While he was here, April gave him a tour of the off-grid straw bale house we helped friends design and build during our first two years living in the area. Dan whipped up a video tour of the house in progress, which you can watch above.
Check out this collection of beautifully simple animations of Japanese joinery in action. These are great little demonstrations of timber frame joints interlocking together.
This great little video has been making the rounds recently. It’s a mini feature about Jeremy Atkinson and apprentice JoJo Wood. Atkinson is the only living clog maker still practicing his craft in England, and he’s passing on his knowledge to apprentice JoJo Wood. (JoJo is a talented wood carver in her own right.)
The modern seaweed house of Læsø, Denmark
Ever since I saw photos of the seaweed thatch homes of Denmark in the book Built by Hand, I’ve been captivated and wanting to learn more about these unnusual structures. Recently, I was disappointed to learn that there are only about 19 traditional seaweed homes left standing on the island of Læsø. But, my disappointment turned to enthusiasm when I learned that some architects and builders are once again rejuvenating interest in the use of seaweed in construction. In fact, there’s been one successful newly built seaweed house, inspired by a competition organized by Realdania Byg. The results are very cool.
Forging axes by hand in America in the 60s
I recently enjoyed watching this insightful video about making and forging axes in Oakland, Maine in 1965 at the Emerson Stevens shop. This particular shop was the last surviving company to produce axes in an area once known for forging and blade-making. To watch these individuals work and to witness the process is a real treat, yet the film is permeated with a certain sadness as the filmmaker realizes that we are watching something that is soon to wither away into history.
While on the subject of the minka, or traditional Japanese farmhouse for a hot a minute, here is a fantastic short film & documentary simply titled Minka, describing the restoration of John Roderick’s well-known home in Japan. The restoration of the ancient farmhouse was led by the young and beginner (at the time) architect Yoshihiro Takishita.
This is a fantastic short film, not for just the story of the challenging re-construction of the minka, but the beautiful friendship between John Roderick and Yoshihiro Takishita himself. Very inspiring stuff. The short synopsis says it nicely: “A film about place and memory, a farmhouse in Japan, and the lives of the people who called it home.”
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.
