Japan's Clay Walls: A Glimpse into their Plaster Craft
I studied and apprenticed Japan's natural earthen wall building craft in Kyoto for one year before returning to the United States to re-join the natural building movement in 2008.  Despite having grown up in Japan, I never "saw" their clay walls until I returned in 2003 after having started on a path of natural building in the US.   Old, slightly crumbling walls of country side homes which revealed sturdy earthen structures clued me into the the existence of a highly evolved earthen building craft.  I knew I couldn't return to the US until I learned it.  A year of searching went by before I found a place that would train me using only traditional materials, through which I found my master.  My apprenticeship experience helped me to understand why more people outside of Japan don't know about the depth of the Japanese knowledge of using earth to build.  It also continuously exposed me to techniques and knowledge I strongly feel would benefit the worldwide green and natural building movement.  Their skills and knowledge have been tested by time -- hurricanes, earthquakes and all.  Yet their earthen walls still stand intact, and restoration can be done with recycled and natural materials.  That is just what the environmentally conscious building world is all about.  Sturdy.  Beautiful.  Healthy.  Good.  May there be a fruitful exchange of information developing between all earthen home builders, new and old, to further happiness and balance.