Rationality of Kiri Wood(Paulownia tomentosa)in Traditional Uses
Kazuya MINATO, Yuko ITO and Haruka SUGAWARA
Abstract:Physical and mechanical properties of kiri wood (Paulownia tomentosa) were estimated from the viewpoint of rationality as the Japanese traditional uses, such as furniture, fittings, and Japanese harp. From the responses of dimension and moisture content to the humidity change, the superiority of kiri wood among many kinds of hardwoods was verified in dimensional stability and humidity-controlling function. These properties of kiri wood accord with the aptitude to the furniture and woodcrafts. Furthermore, it was supported that the vibrational properties of kiri satisfy the necessary conditions (low loss tangent and high acoustic converting efficiency) for the soundboard of stringed instruments. Key Words:Kiri, Dimensional stability, Humidity-controlling function, Moisture content, Japanese harp, Vibrational property, Furniture