Enthusiasmgranted to the very contemporary virtues of activated charcoal could suggest that this  phenomenon is recent, but it is not so, Binchotan charcoal is the product of one of the oldest civilizations in the world. 

 

From its humble beginnings in Wakayama homes to its modern uses as a water purifier and cleaner, it's a natural resource that continues to fascinate.

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Japanese charcoal making dates back to the Jomon period, around 12,000 BC. J.-C. During this prehistoric period, people lived in simple huts and hunted and gathered for food, and charcoal was mainly used for cooking and stoking fires._cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_

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In modern Edo times, the high quality charcoal made in Kishu (taken from Ubame oak and named Binchotan) was widely praised for its natural purifying qualities. It became so valuable that growers exchanged pieces of Binchotan charcoal as payment.  To this day, the Ubame oak is the official tree of Wakayama Prefecture.

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Binchotan charcoal is made from charred Ubame oak, a valuable Japanese wood valued for its ability to retain heat and produce a long burn. It grows in the coastal region of Kishu, which has an ideal climate, rainy and warm. 

Binchotan charcoal is made using a special fig-shaped kiln called a Bincho kiln. Built with red clay hewn from the mountains of Kishu, Bincho kilns can reach temperatures of 1000°C and retain heat for weeks. 

 

Binchotan artisans align the branches vertically inside the Bincho kiln and stabilize the heat at 1000°C, which can take up to fourteen days.  Once the coals are red hot, the Charcoal is mined and quickly smothered with a mixture of ashes, earth and sand to cool and char the wood.  This is a time-consuming process, and not everyone can not do it: artisans in Binchotan train for years to develop the skills needed to make the best natural product possible. 

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Although Japan produces a total amount of 1,800 tons of charcoal per year, Binchotan charcoal is made in extremely low grades and only 3% of Japan's charcoal production is made in Kishu._cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_You can tell the difference between Binchotan charcoal and normal charcoal by simply hitting two sticks together: while normal charcoal makes a sharp sound, Binchotan charcoal makes a metallic clatter similar to porcelain.