Reviving kyougi, sheets of wood wrap to rid us of plastic

Plastic wrap is something many of us are trying to rid from our lives in favor of more sustainable materials. To help us, a company is reviving the traditional Japanese wrap called kyougi – thinly shaved sheets of wood.

As red pine trees throughout Japan face death from bug infection, Yamatowa Co. Ltd. is giving them a new lease of life as kyougi. It aims to make the sustainable wrap part of our daily lives.

Kyougi have been used in Japan since the Yamato Period (250-710) to wrap fresh food. The wood has natural absorbency and antibacterial properties, as well as breathability.

Simple looking, with exceptional functionality

The simple, wood-only product is more complicated than it looks—the slicing of freshly felled trees requires the skill of a craftsperson, and it has taken Yamatowa 18 months to master the manufacture of the wooden sheets. It uses pesticide- and additive-free wood from a privately owned forest in Ina City, Nagano Prefecture. The company is based there, too.

It has named its product ‘Shiki,’ which refers to the many ways the sheets can be used: ‘shiki’ in Japanese means laying something out, so the sheets can absorb meat or fish juices to protect a cutting board, or soak up excess cooking oil from food. They can also beautify a table setting with their swirling grain and natural scent.

Shiki can help keep sandwiches or rice balls fresh by maintaining the right amount of humidity. They can be used in the fridge, and even in the freezer.

Age-old goals for a sustainable future

Yamatowa is seeking to collaborate with other companies to utilize the natural qualities of Japanese red pines. It sees particular potential in the fact that the wood was used in the old days in the Ina region to store grain due to its water resistance and ability to regulate humidity. The company is also considering using other local materials to make wooden sheets.

A large part of Yamatowa’s motivation in making ‘Shiki’ is to support its community by using local material. it also maintains healthy forests by creating a use for trees that need to be felled. The product and the business goals hark back to yesteryear too. The simpler times could hold many more simple solutions to our current, complicated conundrums.