A Japanese lumber dealer is turning salvaged wood from the disaster‑hit Noto region into high‑value musical instruments. As reported in Japanese media yesterday, Takaaki Furutani, 43, is using Noto Hiba arborvitae—the signature tree of Ishikawa Prefecture, traditionally used in construction and furniture—but instead of selling the wood as lower‑value processed lumber, he is turning the timber into high‑value guitars, drums and even pianos.
And his work has already attracted the attention of rock stars and one of the world’s largest musical instrument companies, Yamaha. “Music has the power to connect individuals,” said Furutani. “The value of forests can be conveyed to people if wood is transformed into musical instruments and performed to produce melodies.”
The eldest son in the family behind Furutani Lumber, he grew up around timber but never lost his passion for guitar, a hobby sparked in junior high school by the rock band Spitz. Even while working in Osaka after college to learn the logistics side of the lumber trade, he continued teaching himself music and later spent time at a vinyl record company.
And when he returned to Kanazawa at 27 to join the family business, he quickly saw the challenges facing the Noto region: stagnant timber prices, a shrinking workforce and a forestry sector struggling to attract successors. “Forest resources will no longer be able to circulate if things continue like this,” he recalled.
After becoming head of Furutani Lumber in 2019, he pushed the company in a new direction—using Noto Hiba to make musical instruments. The idea was initially dismissed as a hobbyist’s distraction, but he insisted that “it would be impossible to maintain forests in Noto unless we succeed in creating high value on our own.”
The key lies in compressing the wood
Noto Hiba is lightweight and naturally resistant to water and insects, but softer than maple and other hardwoods typically used in instruments. To overcome that, Furutani developed a method to compress the wood, increasing its strength enough for guitar necks and piano components.
Working with Yamaha, he tested the material’s acoustic properties. The results showed that Noto Hiba has a fast sound response and low vibration absorption—qualities similar to spruce, the gold‑standard tonewood for acoustic instruments.
In 2020, he launched the Ate no Oto (“the sound of Ate”) project, named after another local term for Noto Hiba. Since then, he has produced around 30 types of instruments, from guitars and pianos to Japanese drums and samisen. The Noto Forest Piano, installed at the Ishikawa prefectural government headquarters, became a symbol of recovery after the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake.
And last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries selected his initiative as an outstanding example of regional revitalisation under its Discover Countryside Treasures in Japan program.
But for Furutani, the work is about more than crafting instruments. His mission, he said, is “linking the people who fell and cut trees with those who create sounds.” He consults with loggers on which trees are best suited for instruments and works with sawmills on specialised drying and cutting techniques.
“Although lumber dealers are apt to just sell wood, that is not enough to fully convey the value of forests,” he said. “I want to supervise the entire process through to the point where our wood actually reaches people as sounds.”
Recently, he has turned to salvaged wood from demolition sites in areas affected by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake. More than 2,000 woodland paths and over 30 facilities, including sawmills, were damaged by the quake and torrential rains in 2024, according to the Ishikawa Prefecture lumber industry promotion association.
Starting in 2025, Furutani has finished owkr four guitars made from Noto Hiba, with the zelkova wood taken from the veranda of a home destroyed in the disaster. Masafumi Goto of the rock band Asian Kung‑Fu Generation is expected to test the instruments in February and plans to play one during the band’s 30th‑anniversary concert at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena in April.
“I never imagined that I, as a lumber seller, could be involved in a musical band’s milestone event,” Furutani said. “I definitely want to witness the moment timber from Noto will become sound on stage.”
