About Aizu Paulownia

Only 1.8% of timber is domestically produced
- The rarity of Aizu Paulownia -

In humid Japan, paulownia wood, which has excellent humidity control properties, has played an essential role in daily life for generations, such as in paulownia chests and storage boxes for food and valuables. However, due to changes in lifestyle and the influx of cheap paulownia wood from overseas, currently more than 98.2% of paulownia wood distributed in Japan is imported, and domestic production remains at less than 1.8%.

"Village of Paulownia" Oku-Aizu Mishima Town
- Preserving Aizu Paulownia Trees for Future Generations -

Paulownia trees require time-consuming planting, but most of the planting farms in Japan have gone out of business. However, in Oku-Aizu Mishima Town, known as the "Village of Paulownia," which has a history of planting since the early Edo period, the local community has come together to continue raising and planting high-quality Aizu paulownia trees, from seedlings to planting, in an effort to ensure that domestic paulownia trees are preserved for future generations.

Characteristics of Aizu Paulownia
- Dense wood texture and clear silver-white grain -

Aizu paulownia trees, which grow in Oku-Aizu Mishima Town, known for its heavy snowfall, have a dense, glossy texture and thick, clear silver-white grain after surviving the harsh winter. The material is so excellent that it has been designated as a material for storage boxes for cultural properties such as national treasures. The harsh cold and humid climate unique to Aizu creates a rare value that is hailed as the highest quality in Japan.

To produce high-quality paulownia wood
- Drying and removing bitterness -

To make the wood usable as high-quality Aizu paulownia wood, it is left in the sun for 2-3 years, exposed to rain and snow, and dried to remove the bitterness. After repeating this process, only the strongest boards that have endured the wind and snow are selected. The wood is then placed in a bath and boiled for about a week to 10 days, changing the water every day. Once the water no longer becomes cloudy, it is placed in a drying room and dried to the utmost for about a week. After going through this painstaking and careful process, the finest paulownia wood is produced.

Meticulous handiwork by chest craftsmen
- Aizu Kiri original products -

After drying and removing the tannins, the Aizu paulownia wood is transformed by skilled chest craftsmen into a unique product never seen before. Aizu361 uses Aizu paulownia wood and offers a wide range of original products that are "100% made in Aizu" and are handmade by Aizu craftsmen, and sells them not only locally but also online.