Awards

The Japan Prize of Agricultural Science & The Yomiuri Prize of Agricultural Science

【Winner】 Professor Junji Sugiyama 
【Awarding Organization】 Association of Japanese Agricultural Scientific Societies & The Yomiuri Shimbun
【Date】2019

Excellent Retrofit Building

【Winner】Laboratory of Structural Function (Hiroshi Isoda’s laboratory) 
【Awarding Organization】 the Japan Building Disaster Prevention Association
【Date】February 2019

Research1: Investigation of wood information in East Asia

Principal Investigator (PI): Junji Sugiyama (RISH, Kyoto University)
Research collaborator(s): Suyako Tazuru (RISH, Kyoto University), Takao Itoh (Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties), Mechtild Mertz (CRCAO-CNRS), Hwang Sung Wook (RISH, Kyoto University), Kayoko Kobayashi (The University of Tokyo) and Yosei Kozuma (Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties).

Our wood-based resource culture has been strongly influenced by East Asian countries. Exchanging information with neighboring countries opens a new horizon for understanding mutual relationships. This year, we focused on Chinese and Japanese old wooden statues preserved in foreign countries. The results were partly published.
Our Research Activities : Traditional wood, selection in Japan. 2. Investigation of wood culture in East Asia. 3 Wood identification of old wooden statues preserved in foreign countries.

Publications, etc.

1. Suyako Tazuru, Current status of wood identification of building materials during restoration work, Journal of the society of architectural historians of Japan, No72, 34-43, 2019. (in Japanese)
2. Suyako Tazuru-Mizuno, Junji Sugiyama, Wood identification of western school “Janes Mansion” in Kumamoto Prefecture collapsed by the Kumamoto earthquake, Journal of the Japan wood research society, 65, 1, 33-38, 2019.  (in Japanese)

Research2: Dendroclimatology in equatorial regions

Principal Investigator (PI): Suyako Tazuru (RISH, Kyoto University),
Research collaborator(s): Takahiro Tagami (Kyoto University), Yumiko Watanabe (Kyoto University), Ryo Hisamochi (Kyoto Universtiy), Wataru Omuro (Kyoto University) and Junji Sugiyama (RISH, Kyoto University),

Dendroclimatology in equatorial regions :We applied the analysis techniques of dendroclimatology, such as the tree growth rate and isotope analysis, to tropical trees. We conducted surveys of Teak and Sungkai disk samples that produce annual tree rings, in collaboration with Indonesia and Myanmar.
Research Activities:1.Collection of tropical wood samples. 2.Construct analytical methods of ring-width and isotope ratios. 3.Measurement of ring-width and isotopic components.

Publications, etc.

1. Hisamochi, R., Watanabe, Y., Sano, M., Nakatsuka, T., Kurita, N., Matsuo-Ueda, M., Yamamoto, H., Tazuru, S., Sugiyama, J., Subiyanto, B., Marsoem, S.N., Tsuda, T. and Tagami, T., 2018.  Cellulose oxygen isotopic composition of teak (Tectona grandis) collected from Java Island: a tool for dendrochronological and dendroclimatological analysis.  Dendrochronologia 52, 80-86.
2. Takeshi Nakajima, Kayoko Kobayashi, Junji Sugiyama, Data mining in tree-ring of Cryptomeria japonica: an approach using wavelet convolutional neural network, 13rd Joint Seminar of China-Korea-Japan on Wood Quality and Utilization, 2018

Research3: Wooden building technologies: innovation based on traditional wisdom

Principal Investigator (PI): Hiroshi Isoda (RISH, Kyoto University),
Research collaborator(s): Akihisa Kitamori (RISH,Kyoto University), Takuro Mori (Hiroshima Universtiy), Kohei Komatsu (RISH, Kyoto University), Que Zeli (Nanjing Forestry University), Min-Fu Hsu (National Cheng Kung University), Yu-Lin Chung (National Cheng Kung University) and Yulianto P Prihatmaji (Universitas Islam Indonesia)

Aiming to create a safe and secure type of wooden living space for the future, we will deepen our understanding of the wisdom embodied in wood technologies by investigating traditional or modern wooden buildings. On the basis of that knowledge, we will develop high-performance wooden materials.
In order to find a way to properly evaluate the structural performance of large-scale wooden frameworks with regard to traditional construction techniques, improvement of evaluation methods for detached columns with hanging walls that take into account traditional joint strength, as well as technical improvements to the construction method of drilled pillars with enhance durability and rigidity has been carried out. And for preservation and maintenance of wooden cultural property buildings, we are investigating an improvement of ultrasonic measurement method to search for internal defects of wood members. This basic research was conducted as a joint research with Nanjing Forestry University targeted Chinese cultural property with accepting exchange students. In addition, we are promoting basic research to evaluate the bearing property of CLT. This is fundamental property of the traditional timber connection, which can be incorporated into modern construction technology.

Publications, etc.

1. Rui Li, Hiroshi Isoda, Akihisa Kitamori : Partial Compression Properties of Glulam against CLT block loading, The abstract of the 69^th annual meeting of the Japan wood research society, Hakodate, 2018.3
2. Yifan Liu, Zeli Que, Qicheng Teng, Akihisa Kitamori: Ultrasonic Nondestructive Testing on The Lintels of The Main Hall of Ancestor’s Monastery, The abstract of the 69^th annual meeting of the Japan wood research society, Hakodate, 2018.3.

Research 4: High-performance wood-based materials

Principal Investigator (PI): Kozo Kanayama (RISH, Kyoto University)
Research collaborator(s): Kenji Umemura (RISH, Kyoto University), Soichi Tanaka (RISH, Kyoto University), (Indonesian Institute of Sciences), Shohei Kajikawa (Faculty of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications), Zhongyuan Zhao (College of Furnishings and Industrial Design, Nanjing Forestry University), Min Zhang (School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang A&F University), Ragil Widyorini（Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Gadjah Mada）、Sukma Surya Kusumah（Indonesian Instutute of Scinece, Research Center for Biomaterials）、Rahma Nur Komariah（Faculty of Forestry, Jambi University）

Effective utilization of wood and wood-based materials will contribute to preventing both global warming and the depletion of natural resources. To realize the successful long-term usage of wood as materials, recycling techniques must be developed and the functions of bulk wood must be enhanced. To achieve these requirements, we promote the development of natural adhesives for wood-based materials and of impregnation techniques for removing tissues that disturb the permeation of solution for wood-chemical-treatment, respectively.
Development of particleboard using inner part of oil palm trunk are being performed to investigate the utilization of agricultural wastes of as a raw material for wood-based materials. Considering the future of fossil resources, a bio-based adhesive composed of sucrose and ammonium phosphate is used. It was clarified that the particleboard manufactured under a certain condition had good bending properties and dimensional stability. The detailed researches are currently progressed. In addition to the collaboration researches, the preparation of papers and the acceptance of foreign students were discussed with Chinese and Indonesian researchers.

Publications, etc. 

1. Rahma Nur Komariah, Kenji Umemura, Soichi Tanaka, Kozo Kanayama: The 56th Annual Meeting of the Adhesion Society of Japan, Tokyo (2018)
2. Rahma Nur Komariah, Kenji Umemura, Soichi Tanaka, Firda Aulya Syamani, Kurnia Wiji Prastiyo, Subyakto, Kozo Kanayama: The 14th Pacific Rim Bio-Based Composite Symposium, Oct. 29-31, Makassar, Indonesia (2018)

2017 Activity Report