Leonardo da Vinci’s Wood Charring Method Predates Japanese Shou Sugi Ban
▼ Summary
– Yakisugi is a Japanese technique for charring wood to protect it from water, fire, insects, and fungi, extending its lifespan.
– Leonardo da Vinci wrote about the protective benefits of charring wood over a century before the technique was formally codified in Japan.
– Leonardo’s notebooks contained thousands of pages with inventions and ideas that foreshadowed future technologies like flying machines and telescopes.
– He may have invented the first manmade plastic, as a recipe from his notes created a material similar to early synthetic Bakelite.
– His detailed anatomical studies, particularly of the heart and its valves, accurately described blood flow over 150 years before the circulatory system was formally understood.
The practice of charring wood to enhance its durability, widely recognized today as the Japanese technique Yakisugi or Shou Sugi Ban, finds a remarkable historical precedent in the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. New analysis reveals the Renaissance master documented the protective benefits of this method over a century before it was formally codified in Japan, highlighting his often-overlooked contributions to materials science. This charring process creates a carbonized layer that shields timber from moisture, fire, pests, and fungal decay, significantly extending its functional life—a principle understood and recorded by da Vinci long before its modern architectural revival.
Within the thousands of surviving pages from his notebooks, Leonardo explored an astonishing array of concepts far ahead of his time. His sketches and writings envisioned flying machines, geared mechanisms resembling bicycles, advanced weaponry, and hydraulic engineering projects. He even described the optical principles for a device to “see the moon enlarged,” anticipating the invention of the telescope by a full century. This pattern of prescient innovation extends beyond mechanics and optics into the very chemistry of materials.
In the early 2000s, a researcher examining the Codex Atlanticus discovered notes by Leonardo detailing formulas for mysterious compounds. After reconstructing one recipe, the result was a hardened synthetic material strikingly similar to Bakelite, the early 20th-century plastic. This experiment suggests Leonardo may have inadvertently created the first known man-made plastic, centuries before its industrial development. His relentless curiosity drove him to dissect and document the human body with unprecedented accuracy, producing anatomical drawings that correctly explained the function of heart valves roughly 150 years before the circulatory system was formally understood. Modern cardiac surgeons have even developed surgical repair techniques inspired directly by his meticulous heart valve sketches.
Among these diverse investigations, scholars have identified a specific entry where Leonardo explicitly recommends charring wood to preserve it. He noted that subjecting timber to fire made it resistant to rot and worm infestation, thereby ensuring its longevity. This direct observation predates the 17th and 18th-century Japanese texts that formally recorded the Yakisugi method. While the Japanese technique evolved into a refined architectural craft, Leonardo’s notation underscores a shared, cross-cultural understanding of a simple yet powerful material treatment. It stands as another testament to his genius, revealing how his observational prowess captured a practical building solution that aligns perfectly with principles valued in contemporary sustainable design.
(Source: Ars Technica)
