Here is an ancient cane with a fascinating story! The wood is Jindai ash wood from Japan. A rare species of ash tree that is now a protected species, it grows in Japan and part of Russia. The Japanese word “Jindai” means “The age of the Gods”, and speaks to the age of the material; its so old that its considered part of mythology!

The History: The wood is approximately 2600 years old, and was buried under a volcanic eruption from Mt. Chokaisan. A massive, and famous volcano in Japan, Chokaisan had a large eruption 2600 years ago that caused a collapse of its summit and what’s called the Kisakata debris avalanche. The rocks and soil that collapsed flowed north-northwestward and were deposited widely in the current Kisakata and Nikaho towns. The volume is estimated to be 3 to 4 billion cubic meters of earth. It’s under all of this debris that the ancient forest has been preserved without decay from lack of oxygen, and some has been excavated.

Its a tremendous privilege to be able to offer such unique ancient material, Jindai wood from Japan is some of the rarest wood I’ve come across. Its also ironic that this “ash” wood that has been sitting under volcanic rubble and ash for millennia - and now its color is also like ash. It’s warm grey overall, but the open pores of the wood are the most grey, creating a handsome grain contrast.

This cane is built a little differently than most of my work, its been cut out of a single piece of wood, then a spline has been carefully laminated inside the handle area. The result is uninterrupted grain on the sides of the handle. The spline is also ancient wood its bog oak from Ukraine, even older than the ash at 5,000+ years old. The lapidary pins on both sides are ancient petrified sequoia wood with curl figure. This wood is so ancient that its turned to stone. The functional result of the construction method is a light weight cane that is both strong and nimble. It would make an excellent daily user. Total length measures 38” and can be shortened to fit.

For more information on this mountain and its volcanic activity, visit this Smithsonian Institute web page: https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=283220

The last image is of Mt. Chokaisan

Every Gillis cane is a photographed original, you’ll always receive the exact cane in the images.