Violins Made of Cedar Plantation Thinnings

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Students belonging to Shizuoka Prefectural Tenryu Forest High School's Forestry Science Club have been making violins of wood thinned from cedar plantations since April 2001; as of July 2005, the number of handcrafted violins exceeded 170. The school first held workshops aimed at learning how to make violins from plantation thinnings in April 2000, one year before it started handcrafting violins in earnest.

Club members had been taking the lead in forestry activities such as thinning out too-small trees, pruning, and clearing underbrush. They also enjoyed making traditional Japanese washi paper, making charcoal, planting tree cuttings and cultivating mushrooms.

In the course of their activities, they met Masayuki Kato, a violin maker and a member of the "Gakki no mori" (Musical Instrument Forest), a group that enjoys making and playing musical instruments. This meeting motivated the students to start making violins. The material used for the violins is thinned cedar wood from the Tenryu district in Shizuoka Prefecture. About 20 or more participants learn to make violins under the instruction of club members during these workshops.

"We are trying to do this not just as a school club, but also as part of the local community," says Shinichi Nishio, the club's advisor.



Posted: 2005/08/15 08:20:53 PM
Japanese version