Keep it long, treasure it long.

Comfortable cutting

Yamaichi's CYPRESS CUTTING BOARD ONTAKESAN is characterized by fine parallel wood grain of cypress. This parallel grain is called a straight grain. The straight grain is a valuable part that can be obtained from aged wood. Yamaichi carefully selects straight-grained timber that is more than 200 years old, which is suitable for cutting boards. The timber is originally from offcuts of house structural materials. Then those materials are bonded to be a cutting board. Because the grain is parallel, the cutting board gains good resilience, and you would feel comfortable to use a knife on the board.

CYPRESS CUTTING BOARD ONTAKESAN is sized for everyday cooking. Vegetables, large meats, and fishes can be cut with this cutting board. The cutting board is stable because it has enough thickness. Also, you do not need to worry about warping or cracking since the product has high durability.

From Kiso, remarkable wood producing area

The land of Kiso, Nagano Prefecture, Japan still has deep mountains with large trees of old age. Five different kinds of wood are known to represent the Kiso valley, that is, Hinoki, Sawara, Nezuko, Asunaro, and Koyamaki. Hinoki (i.e., cypress) is treated as the highest quality building material and has been carefully cultivated since ancient times. It is said that "Kiso Hinoki" is still used at the transition of the Ise Jingu Naiku, which is held once every 20 years, and many other shrines and temples are built with Kiso Hinoki as the main material. For the sake of the blessed soil and harsh climate, many high-quality wooden materials are produced, and the fine wood-producing areas attract skilled artisans, and many woodwork products have been produced in this area since the Edo period.

Work that can only be done with trees

In the Kiso region, it takes time for trees to grow due to the steep terrain and severe climate, but wood grown in a harsh environment is very durable, and the wood itself has properties that can be used for a long time. While many mass-produced products are made of timber of unknown origin, YAMAICHI chooses only heartwood of Kiso Hinoki that has been grown more than 100 years. In pursuit of things that are glad to be wood, and things that can only be done with wood, YAMAICHI manufactures from traditional products such as chests and pail to products that are familiar to modern life like cutting boards.