{"id":32677,"date":"2026-02-15T12:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/?p=32677"},"modified":"2026-02-15T12:40:31","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T02:40:31","slug":"from-ruins-japanese-trader-turns-quake-salvaged-timber-into-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/from-ruins-japanese-trader-turns-quake-salvaged-timber-into-music\/","title":{"rendered":"From Ruins, Japanese Trader Turns Quake\u2011Salvaged Timber into Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A Japanese lumber dealer is turning salvaged wood from the disaster\u2011hit Noto region into high\u2011value musical instruments.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.asahi.com\/ajw\/articles\/16318127\"> As reported in Japanese media yesterday<\/a>, Takaaki Furutani, 43, is using Noto Hiba arborvitae\u2014the signature tree of Ishikawa Prefecture, traditionally used in construction and furniture\u2014but instead of selling the wood as lower\u2011value processed lumber, he is turning the timber into high\u2011value guitars, drums and even pianos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And his work has already attracted the attention of rock stars and one of the world\u2019s largest musical instrument companies, Yamaha. \u201cMusic has the power to connect individuals,\u201d said Furutani. \u201cThe value of forests can be conveyed to people if wood is transformed into musical instruments and performed to produce melodies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u3010\u5fa9\u6d3b\u306e\u97f3\u8272\u3011\u80fd\u767b\u306e\u4f4f\u5b85\u304b\u3089\u6551\u51fa\u201c\u9707\u707d\u30d4\u30a2\u30ce\u201d\u3000\u5730\u9707\u4e57\u308a\u8d8a\u3048\u5fa9\u6d3b\u306e\u97f3\u8272\u3000\u77f3\u5ddd\u30fb\u767d\u5c71\u306e\u9e93\u3067\u6f14\u594f\u4f1a\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FTO_lNCo6P4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Takaaki Furutani is working to turn wood salvaged into musical instruments (in Japanese). Footage courtesy of tv_kanazawa.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The eldest son in the family behind Furutani Lumber, he grew up around timber but never lost his passion for guitar, a hobby sparked in junior high school by the rock band Spitz. Even while working in Osaka after college to learn the logistics side of the lumber trade, he continued teaching himself music and later spent time at a vinyl record company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And when he returned to Kanazawa at 27 to join the family business, he quickly saw the challenges facing the Noto region: stagnant timber prices, a shrinking workforce and a forestry sector struggling to attract successors. \u201cForest resources will no longer be able to circulate if things continue like this,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After becoming head of Furutani Lumber in 2019, he pushed the company in a new direction\u2014using Noto Hiba to make musical instruments. The idea was initially dismissed as a hobbyist\u2019s distraction, but he insisted that \u201cit would be impossible to maintain forests in Noto unless we succeed in creating high value on our own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The key lies in compressing the wood<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p>Noto Hiba is lightweight and naturally resistant to water and insects, but softer than maple and other hardwoods typically used in instruments. To overcome that, Furutani developed a method to compress the wood, increasing its strength enough for guitar necks and piano components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with Yamaha, he tested the material&#8217;s acoustic properties. The results showed that Noto Hiba has a fast sound response and low vibration absorption\u2014qualities similar to spruce, the gold\u2011standard tonewood for acoustic instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2020, he launched the Ate no Oto (\u201cthe sound of Ate\u201d) project, named after another local term for Noto Hiba. Since then, he has produced around 30 types of instruments, from guitars and pianos to Japanese drums and samisen. The Noto Forest Piano, installed at the Ishikawa prefectural government headquarters, became a symbol of recovery after the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries selected his initiative as an outstanding example of regional revitalisation under its Discover Countryside Treasures in Japan program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for Furutani, the work is about more than crafting instruments. His mission, he said, is \u201clinking the people who fell and cut trees with those who create sounds.\u201d He consults with loggers on which trees are best suited for instruments and works with sawmills on specialised drying and cutting techniques.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAlthough lumber dealers are apt to just sell wood, that is not enough to fully convey the value of forests,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to supervise the entire process through to the point where our wood actually reaches people as sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"T-hrjnU90dE\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How devastating were the New Year&#039;s Day earthquakes in Japan? | DW News\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/T-hrjnU90dE?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>In 2024, Wood Central reported on the New Year&#8217;s Day earthquake, which damaged thousands of buildings. Footage courtesy of DW News.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Recently, he has turned to salvaged wood from demolition sites in areas affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. More than 2,000 woodland paths and over 30 facilities, including sawmills, were damaged by the quake and torrential rains in 2024, according to the Ishikawa Prefecture lumber industry promotion association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starting in 2025, Furutani has finished owkr four guitars made from Noto Hiba, with the zelkova wood taken from the veranda of a home destroyed in the disaster. Masafumi Goto of the rock band Asian Kung\u2011Fu Generation is expected to test the instruments in February and plans to play one during the band\u2019s 30th\u2011anniversary concert at Tokyo\u2019s Ariake Arena in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never imagined that I, as a lumber seller, could be involved in a musical band\u2019s milestone event,\u201d Furutani said. \u201cI definitely want to witness the moment timber from Noto will become sound on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Japanese lumber dealer is turning salvaged wood from the disaster\u2011hit Noto region into high\u2011value musical instruments. As reported in Japanese media yesterday, Takaaki Furutani, 43, is using Noto Hiba arborvitae\u2014the signature tree of Ishikawa Prefecture, traditionally used in construction and furniture\u2014but instead of selling the wood as lower\u2011value processed lumber, he is turning the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"default","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[3,38,52,33,79,2,32,46,31],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[70],"class_list":{"0":"post-32677","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-architecture","8":"category-architecture-and-design","9":"category-asia","10":"category-editors-picks","11":"category-equipment","12":"category-featured","13":"category-global-news","14":"category-industry","15":"category-top-stories"},"authors":[{"term_id":70,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"jason","display_name":"Jason Ross","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg","url2x":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/J-Ross-headshot.jpeg"},"0":null,"1":"","2":"","3":"","4":"","5":"","6":"","7":"","8":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32677","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32677"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32677\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32680,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32677\/revisions\/32680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32678"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32677"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32677"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32677"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodcentral.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=32677"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}