miscellaneous (Japan) #3: The mother of all burl slabs

It was obviously finished with a Japan drier. ;>)

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

That’s one nice hunk of wood!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

That’s exactly what I would do with a beauty piece of wood like that to. Build a simple stand and put it on display so people who knew what they were looking at could marvel at it.

-- Urban logger, http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

Wow, that is spectacular!

-- Maplewood, MN

**&?% (sound of my jaw dropping in amazement)

Jojo,

That is a fabulous piece. I am not sure it would be a good place to study though. Quiet yes, but I would not be able to study anything but the wood.

Thanks for the inspiring post.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

that is such a fabulous piece of wood. just like you i wish i could have seen that whole tree. thanks for the post.

That sure is wonderful piece of wood.

Is that some sort of inscription on the surface?

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

That’s a nice piece ‘o wood. Do you think the temple was made from the rest of the tree?

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

A bunch of pen blanks, a Mouthwatering Hall table. A great piece of sculpture.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com

WOW!!!

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

One sits in front of it, as it is, and contemplates…not what to make of it…but it’s glory as it is…a shrine to our brethren in Japan…albeit the rest of the world…who have made this discovery of creation and said it shall be what it is. And we see our reflection in it to wonder at the swirls and roiling of the sustance of our own lives, to wonder about the turbulence that makes such a piece of glory…or perhaps the peace of the tree which stands proudly in a forest and makes it’s greatness inside itself…the tree who towers above us, the tree who speaks only through the passage of wind in it’s branches…the tree who says “in order to see my greatness you must kill me only to spend the rest of your lives in tears for that act of violence against my species.”

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ Stay so busy you don't have time to die.

Hi Jojo;
—-one great burl of wood! And yes, I could//would imagine my-self sitting before this piece and thinking on wood….

Now I have a question for you, if you can find the time to pause from your studies. I’m interested in the temple altar hanging on the wall, to the right of the burl and was wondering if you have any close-up pictures? These temple altars are a source of inspiration to me and I’m all-ways seeking out there history of woodworking joinery and finish….so any observations and information on your part would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

Thank you all for your replies.

You’re right Scott I got to get outta there, there was no way I could study with such a beauty in sight.

Daren: Yes your choice is for sure a great option but I think that a well-thought base would make for an amazing dinning table that could lead to a bigger amount of people to appreciate it. In any case, we just must thank mother nature for those gifts.

Tenontim, I don’t think so. You never see burl in the wood that makes the temples, it is more along the lines of Japanese Cedar and other straight-grain woods. What I’m pretty sure though is that it grew within the premises, not only because its size and weight but also because there are other giant specimens still alive in there. Kyoto is in a valley that sits on top of a huge phreatic basin feed by the biggest lake in Japan,—”Biwako”, whose dimensions are around 100×25 miles—. That makes for an awfully wet climate and ground with, literally, thousands of small canals flowing through the city streets. Add this to the fact it was the country’s political and cultural capital for a thousand years, and thus most of it it is protected patrimony, and we have the perfect place for old trees to grow older and spread all over the place without fear of being taken down.

You’re great Karson, (sic) ”a bunch of pen blanks”… Man I bet nobody’s alloted enough life time to turn all those pens! :o)

Beautiful words, Barry.

Hi Frank, nice to see you still around peeking at my blog. Some inside baseball now: I’m sorry to report that still no ’ooga’ to be found anywhere, but I expect to start restoring mine right away.

Regarding the altar in the wall niche I regret to say that I don’t have any pics of this particular one but I’ll try to snap some of any other similar one because they are really prominent all over the country. Those and some standalone ones in the streets too. There are thousands of them with a few icons and votive candles, flowers and food offerings inside—like small cups of rice or some fruits—. The trame itself is quite simple and everything inside is gilded. As soon as I can I’d post something about it but if you have any special interest or question, ask me about and I’ll research it for you.

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://www.japanese-woodworking-tools.com/

Everybody probably thinks its beautiful and amazing, being a lumberjock you have the ability to marvel at all the work/craftsmanship also.
Thats an incredible shine it has.

Agreed 100% BlueStingrayBoots. Amazing shine and beauty that we all LJ have come to know how to appreciate. Thank you for your comment.

-- Jojo, shopless in Kyoto · http://www.japanese-woodworking-tools.com/