The phrase “fight fire with fire” is too true with this ancient Japanese method of
preserving wood. Yakisugi is a traditional Japanese method of wood preseration by slightly charring the surface of the wood to increase durability. In the West, it is also called Shou sugi ban.
The technique of burning the surface of the wood improves the weather resistance performance, prevents decay, rot, and insect infestation, and makes the wood more resistant to fire than a non-heat-treated cypress plank.
For hundreds of years Yakisugi was primarily used in Western Japan for exterior siding and fencing on traditional Japanese houses. True black color finish is rare in the world and to this day it is still not clear why this technique is only used in Western Japan.