The JSPS-LIPI Core UniversityProgram in the Field of Wood Sciencestarted in 1996 has just finished itsninth year, leaving one year to evolveexpansively. Our institute (WRI toRISH) has been serving as the core uni-versity to coordinate the activities ofcollaborating universities, institutes andindividual researchers in Japan and toplan and actually implement the activi-

ties hand in hand with the counterpartcore institute, the Research and Devel-opment Unit for Biomaterials (RDUB),Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI),Indonesia. To date, more than 20 pro-jects have been planned and executed,bringing lots of results from practicalapplications to fundamental aspects.The achievement is exemplified by anumber of papers published in major

international anddomestic jour-nals as well.Furthermore, theprogram con-tributed to trainmany qualifiedwood scientistsin Indonesia,who became keyplayers to estab-lish the Indone-sian Society ofWood Researchin 1996. Theprevious bioma-

terial research group of the R & D Cen-tre for Applied Physics became anindependent institution, the RDUB, in2002 after the recognition of the newcircumstances.

The 25th February 2005 markedanother chapter in the history of theJSPS-LIPI collaboration partnership.The opening ceremony of the satelliteoffice was held officially with morethan 50 attendees. At the ceremony, theaddresses were given by ProfessorBambang Subiyanto, Head of theRDUB, Professor Endang Sukara,Indonesian Coordinator, Deputy of LifeSciences LIPI, the Japanese Coordina-tor, Professor Yuji Imamura from ourinstitute, and a distinguished guest,Professor Umar Anggara Jenie, theChairman of the LIPI. The ceremonywas finalized by cutting a ribbon at theentrance of the satellite office by Pro-fessor Umar Anggara Jenie and Profes-sor Yuji Imamura.

The opening of the satellite office at

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No. 16 March 2005

Opening of the RISH-RDUBSatellite OfficeDr. Junji Sugiyama

RISH, Kyoto University Sign at theentrance ofthe satelliteoffice

A scene after the official opening

The 5th IWSS was held at ClockTower Centennial Hall, Kyoto Univer-sity, Japan, on September 17-19, 2004.The symposium was organized by theResearch Institute for SustainableHumanosphere (RISH), Kyoto Univer-sity, Indonesian Institute of Sciences,and Universiti Putra Malaysia, and wasthe first symposium under the JSPS-LIPI Core University Program since theWood Research Institute (WRI) wasreorganized to RISH in April 2004.

The aim of the symposium was to

provide a forum for scientists fromJapan and Southeast Asian countries toshare up-to-date information pertainingto a wide variety of research subjects inwood science and technology in rela-tion to the establishment of a sustain-able society, and papers related to thefollowing topics were invited: woodformation, biotechnology, wood chem-istry and pulping, bark utilization,wood-based materials, biodegradationand preservation of woods, biomass uti-lization and biomass energy, and envi-

ronmental issues. This symposium wasattended by 160 scientists from Japan-ese universities including students fromabroad (China, Bangladesh, Guinea,Brazil, Pakistan, and Korea) as well as36 Indonesians, 4 Malaysians, onePhilippino, and one Thai scientist.

The symposium was opened by aWelcome Address from Prof. H.Matsumoto. Then, Opening Remarkswere delivered by Prof. Y. Imamura(RISH) and by Dr. E. Sukara (LIPI),respectively. In the opening ceremony,the memorandum of understandingwhich was originally signed betweenthe WRI, Kyoto University and the R& D Center for Applied Physics, LIPIwas extended with a revision due toreorganization of both institutions.Prof. H. Matsumoto [the director of theRISH, Kyoto University] and Dr. B.Subiyanto [the director of R & D Unitfor Biomaterials (RDUB), LIPI] signedthe revised MOU.

The total number of papers present-ed was 115, which consisted of fourkeynote lectures, one invited lecture,one special lecture, 63 oral papers, and46 poster papers. The keynote lectureswere given by representatives from

2

- 5th International Wood Science Symposium (IWSS) -

Sustainable Production and EffectiveUtilization of Tropical Forest Resources

Dr. Toshiaki UmezawaRISH, Kyoto University

All the symposium participants

MOU signing by Prof. H. Matsumoto (RISHDirector) and Dr. B. Subiyanto (RDUB Head)

the LIPI could not have been achievedwithout the dedicated efforts of the

LIPI, providing a room of 50m2 close tothe room of the head of the RDUB. The

office is arranged as a base for Japaneseresearchers who visit Indonesia and asa place to accumulate all the intellectu-al materials and information broughtfrom Japan to be sheared with Indone-sian scientists. In the near future, theoffice will be more and more useful forarranging long and/or short term staysfor Japanese scientists to host interna-tional seminars or workshops in thefield of wood science toward the estab-lishment of a sustainable humanos-phere.

Prof. Umar Anggara Jenie,the Chairman of LIPI

Flower decoration withmessages for the opening

It was a great pleasure for me whenProf. Y. Imamura asked me to write myimpressions of the 5th IWSS because Iparticipated in almost all of the sym-posia and obtained a lot of valuableachivements for my scientific career.The First International Wood ScienceSeminar was held in 1996 at the WoodResearch Institute (WRI) Hall, KyotoUniversity Uji Campus. The JSPS-LIPICore University Program in the field ofWood Science was also started in the

same year. It was my first experience asa Masters student of Kyoto Universityto present a full paper at an internationalseminar. Since then, five IWSS havebeen organized over 9 years in 1996(Japan), 1998 (Indonesia), 2000 (Japan),2002 (Indonesia), and 2004 (Japan).

The 5th IWSS was successfullyorganized by the RISH September 17-19, 2004. As well as the spirit of CoreUniversity Program, i.e. SustainableProduction and Effective Utilization ofTropical Forest Resources, the aim ofthe symposium was to discuss on theresearch activities and the resultsobtained by collaborative research andto find new research subjects for theeffective utilization of wood and natur-al resources in harmony with the globalenvironment. Furthermore, it washoped that the symposium could con-tribute to the future development ofwood science and technology of Japan,Indonesia and other Asian countries.

The special lecture by Prof. T. Tsudaand some papers from previous RASCscientists have enlarged the scope ofsustainable humanoshere research. Hepresented a very interesting lectureentitled: An Overview on Collaborationand Observation of Equatorial Atmos-phere Dynamics over Indonesia. Otherinteresting papers from RASC scien-tists were Preliminary Analysis of theGrowth-rings of Tropical Trees and aPreliminary Study on Wood Deteriora-tion in a Simulated Space Environment.

I myself have a lasting impressionof when Prof. Y. Imamura asked me tohave lunch with himself and other pro-fessors, such as Prof. T. Higuchi (emer-itus), Prof. H. Sasaki (emeritus), Prof.M. Shimada, Prof. S. Kawai, and otherdistinguish guests at the CentennialHall La Tour Restaurant. Another twounforgettable moments at the 5th IWSSwere the chairperson’s importantspeeches at the keynote session on thesecond day. The first speech was deliv-ered by Dr. T. Umezawa from RISH,and the second by Dr. B. Subiyantofrom the R & D Unit for Biomaterials,LIPI.

The next IWSS will be held in Bali,

3

No. 16 March 2005

Japan (Dr. T. Umezawa, RISH),Indonesia (Dr. B. Subiyanto, RDUB),Malaysia (Dr. E.D. Wong, UniversitiPutra Malaysia), and the Philippines(Dr. D.A. Eusebio, Forest ProductsResearch and Development Institute),overviewing the current status andfuture prospects of sustainable produc-tion and effective utilization of tropicalforest resources in each country. Mr. H.Endo (Head of the Asian Program Divi-sion, JSPS) gave the invited lecture onthe JSPS program with Asian countries,which was comprehensive and veryinformative. The special lecture wasgiven by Prof. T. Tsuda (RISH). Hegave an overview on collaborativeobservations of equatorial atmospheredynamics over Indonesia and pointedout the importance of interdisciplinaryresearch on tropical forests. Poster pre-sentations were delivered for the firsttime in the successive IWSSs. Each

poster presenter was given 5 minutes tooutline the presentation orally. Thiswas well received by young Japanesestudents, especially those who made anoral presentation in English for the firsttime.

In the closing ceremony, Prof. S.Kawai (RISH) overviewed the sympo-sium, and Dr. E. Sukara (LIPI) outlinedthe next, the 6th IWSS, to be held onBali island in 2005.

Following the presentations, a sci-entific excursion to Himeji Castle washeld and the participants inspected andenjoyed the wooden structures of thebeautiful Japanese castle.

Lastly, on behalf of the organizingcommittee, I would like to thank allpresenters and participants for theirexcellent presentations and active dis-cussions; we firmly believe that the 5thIWSS will promote the establishmentof science and technology in the field

of sustainable production and effectiveutilization of tropical forest resources.

Impression of the 5th IWSS 2004 in KyotoDr. Wahyu Dwianto

R & D Unit for Biomaterials-LIPI, Indonesia

Prof. Kawai, Prof. Hamami, Prof. Sasaki,Dr. Sukara, Dr. Eusebio, Dr. Wong,

Dr. Subiyanto, Prof. Higuchi, Prof. Shimadaand Dr. Dwianto (L to R)

Mr. H. Endo (JSPS) giving the lecture

Lecture hall scene

The 5th IWSS was designed to pro-vide a forum for scientists from Japanand Southeast Asian Countries to shareup-to-date information pertaining to awide variety of research subjects inwood science and technology relative tothe establishment of a sustainable soci-ety, which was indeed very timely. Pre-sentation of various subjects such aswood materials, wood bioscience andwood biomass thoroughly discussedand opened more avenues for new andwider opportunities for research. Thesociety really needs new materials, newproducts and revolutionary technologiesthat will address not only the presentgeneration, but also future generations.

“Sustainability” is the keywordnowadays according to Prof. H.Matsumoto, the Director of the RISH,during his welcome address. Indeed,sustainability in the context of woodscience and technology should be givenmore emphasis in order to address

problems of population growth, envi-ronment, energy, food, and shelter, aswell as resource shortages.

The 5th IWSS as a forum forenhancing the knowledge of partici-pants in their field of specializationlikewise served as a platform for under-standing the role and contribution ofthe Japan Society for the Promotion ofScience (JSPS) in promoting interna-tional scientific cooperation, supportingyoung researchers and funding scientif-ic research activities. Mr. H. Endo,Head of the Asian Program Division,JSPS, pointed out the necessity of part-nership with ASEAN member coun-tries. Establishing closer links amongAsian countries considering their rapiddevelopment and problems common tothe region, particularly on environmentand sustainable development, weregiven emphasis.

In the Philippines, sustainabledevelopment has been an issue formany years. However, the balancebetween forest production and effectiveutilization of forest resources has hard-ly be achieved. This is due to many fac-tors such as poverty, rapid populationgrowth, in effective programs toaddress reforestation and plantationdevelopment, lack of technologies toeffectively utilize wood and non-woodforest resources and many other issues.

Although Philippine forestry is con-

sidered to be in itsworst conditionever, forestryexperts are veryoptimistic that sus-tainable forestry isstill attainable ifpeople act togetheras soon as possi-ble. Other requirements of sustainableforestry include the proper managementof productive forests, including envi-ronmentally friendly and efficient for-est harvesting (Dizon, J.T., et al. Pover-ty Eradication Through SustainableForest Management. The PhilippineLumberman. Jan-Mar 2002).

The Philippines’ National Scienceand Technology Plan (NSTP 2002-2020) aims to help promote sustainableforestry by employing modern produc-tion technologies and a managementapproach. These include the use ofbiotechnology, plantation development,and the improved production and uti-lization of non-timber resources likebamboo and rattan (DOST, 2002).

FPRDI is the research arm of DOSTthat generates, improves and transfersappropriate technologies and informa-tion on the efficient use of forest-basedproducts. FPRDI’s vision is a sustain-able forest-based industry that produceseconomically competitive and environ-ment-friendly commodities that con-tribute to socio-economic developmentand support the disadvantaged sectorsof society. To efficiently utilize forestresources, FPRDI focuses on six R & Dprograms; Material Science, HousingTechnologies, Furniture and Handi-craft, Chemical Products and BiomassEnergy, Handmade Paper and Technol-

Indonesia, at the end of August 2005. Itwill be the last IWSS under the JSPS-LIPI Core University Program becausethe program will finish in March, 2006.As the Organizing Committee, I hopethe R & D Unit for Biomaterials (LIPI)can prepare everything as well as RISHhas done. I am looking forward to see-ing you all in Bali.

4

The 5th IWSS andResearch Prospects in the Philippines

Dr. Dwight A. EusebioFPRDI-DOST, The Philippines

(contines to the middle section of p.5)

Dr. Laemsak, Prof. Kawai, Dr. Eusebio,Prof. Imamura and Mr. Endo (L to R)

Besides 70 oral presentations, 46 posters were presented

In September 2004, I participated inthe 5th IWSS as one of the administra-tive staff. It was my great pleasure tohave the opportunity for the personalinterchange with the many foreign par-ticipants supporting the symposium.

I was also very impressed with thebanquet and excursion. At the banquet,the Indonesian participants introducedtheir traditional performance and

dance, while the Japanese gave ademonstration of the tea ceremony. Ithink that such traditional and culturalperformances contribute much to pro-mote better mutual understanding. Theexcursion was to a world heritage site,Himeji castle, and was the last event ofthe symposium. All the participantsrelaxed after the conference, so that Icould make good friend among the par-

ticipants, and had a very good time.I hope that the relationship estab-

lished at the symposium betweenJapanese, Indonesian and Malaysianpeople will deepen in the future!

Terima Kashi!

ogy Transfer.Sustainable production, forest pro-

tection and effective utilization of forestresources from the basis for FPRDI’sproject implementation. FPRDI consid-ers not only the plantation forestry pro-gram targets (both wood and non-wood) resources, but also the trends inthe export & import of both raw materi-als and forest products. The Instituteimplements more than 100 projectsevery year addressing the different pro-gram objectives. In consideration of

environmental issues, the programsproperly and promptly address issueson depletion of resources, disposal ofhazardous and toxic wastes and pollu-tion of water and air. The Departmentof the Environment and NaturalResources (DENR), other governmentinstitutions and private entities alsoconduct R & D studies to address issueson sustainable production and utiliza-tion of natural resources.

In line with the government’s pro-gram on sustainable production of for-

est resources, massive development ofwood, bamboo and rattan plantationsshould continue in accordance with thevarious government programs. Theeffective utilization of these resourcesthrough the proper implementation ofthe projects and programs envisions asustainable forest-based industry, ableto produce competitive and environ-ment-friendly commodities that con-tribute to socio-economic developmentand support the disadvantaged sectorsof society.

No. 16 March 2005

5

(from p.4)

Attending the 5th IWSSas a supporting staff member

Mr. Naoki SakamotoAdmin. Bureau, Kyoto University

Tea ceremony at the banquet

Dr. Firmanti, Mr. Sakamoto and Dr. Subiyanto (L to R)

Excursion tour to Himeji Castle

It is with great

sadness that I have

to inform all read-

ers of Prof. Takashi

Okuyama’s demise

on the 20th Novem-

ber, 2004 in a traf-

fic accident. He had

contributed a great deal to the development

of wood science both domestically and

internationally as Professor of Biomaterial

Physics, Graduate School of Bioagricultural

Sciences, Nagoya University and the vice

president of the Japan Society of Wood Sci-

ence. He also played a big part in the JSPS-

LIPI Core University Program in the field

of Wood Science, especially as a project

leader for the cooperative research pro-

jects; “Growth Mechanism of Fast-grow-

ing Species in Tropical Forest” and “Stud-

ies on the Effect of Silvicultural Condi-

tions to the Wood”. Here, we would like

to offer our condolences on his sudden

and untimely passing. (Y. H.)

Recently, the demand of wood as araw material is still dominated by com-mercial wood species (major and minorcommercial timber). On the other hand,the production of commercial woodtend has decreased, due to cutting, ille-gal logging, forest fires, and a lowerrate of reforestation. Therefore, alterna-tive wood material resources are need-ed to substitute commercial wood, forexample by using lesser-known woodspecies.

Motivated by responsibility as sci-entists in the wood science field, the R& D Unit for Biomaterials, LIPI has agood relationship with Japanese scien-tists, and with our former teacher, cre-ated an idea to explore lesser-knownwood species.

Following long discussions and in aspirit of research cooperation conduct-ed by the JSPS Core University Pro-gram, the research No.22 was carriedout with theme “The Characterizationof Main Wood Species and Develop-ment of Novel Utilization of Unusedand Unvalued Wood Species Grown inIndonesia”. The research was conduct-ed at the laboratory of the Biomaterial

Science and Wood Base Composite,Graduate School of Agriculture, KyotoPrefectural University, Japan. TheIndonesian members of this programare Drs. S. Yusuf, W. Dwianto and meand the Japanese members are Drs. I.Iida, and Y. Furuta, and Profs. Y. Ishi-maru and K. Minato.

The research activities in Indonesiainclude collecting wood samples andinformation concerning the convention-al and traditional utilization of thosewoods and analysing wood properties.

As for research activities at theGraduate School of Agriculture, KyotoPrefectural University, Japan, in thefirst year from Sep. 15th to Oct. 15th2002, we focused on observations ofspecific gravity and the bendingstrength value (MOE, MOR) of everywood species. There were 15 species ofIndonesian wood which we observed.By comparing three conditions: dry(20ºC), wet (20ºC), and wet (80ºC) foreach value of MOE and MOR. Theresults of the experiment, showed achange in the bending strength valuedue to changes in moisture content andtemperature, and a correlation with spe-

cific gravity. Theresults were pub-lished in the Journalof Wood Science,Vol. 50, (2004)p.371-374, entitled:Characterization ofMajor, Unused andUnvalued Indone-sian Wood SpeciesI. Dependencies ofmechanical proper-ties in the transversedirection on thechanges in moisture

content and/or temperature.As for the second year, from Aug.

16th to Sep. 30th 2003, the researchfocused on visco-elastic properties,wood chemical properties and vibrationproperties. Visco-elasticity was deter-mined by stress relaxation measure-ments with changing of moisture con-tents and temperature, and strengthmodulus relaxation was observed as avalue relative to specific gravity. Theobservation of wood chemical proper-ties was done to clarify the wood chem-ical content and extractive substances.Determining the mechanical propertiesby vibrations was aimed at gettinginformation on acoustic properties. Theresults were presented as a poster ses-sion at the 5th IWSS 2004 at KyotoUniversity, Japan entitled (1): Stressrelaxation behavior of Indonesian woodspecies to moisture content and/or tem-perature changes and (2): Evaluation ofIndonesian wood species in terms oftheir physical, mechanical and chemi-cal properties.

In the third year, from Sep. 6th toOct. 20th 2004, the research focuscd onthe penetrability, recovery and anatom-ical observation of 21 Indonesia woodspecies. Determining the physical prop-erties and characteristic anatomicalobservation can be useful to promoteenvironmental responsibility.

The results from the three years(period 2002-2004) of research will beanalyzed and discussed further, and wehope to make conclusions regarding thecharacteristic of 15 to 21 species ofIndonesian wood. The results will beused as a basis to identify the appropri-ate utilization of those woods based ontheir characteristics.

6

Characterization and Development of NovelUtilization of the Unused and Unvalued

Wood Species Grown in IndonesiaMr. Sudijono

R & D Unit for Biomaterials, LIPI, Indonesia

= Research Project No. 22 =

Compressing of wood samples forpenetrability and recovery test

Dr. I. Iida, Prof. Y. Ishimaru, Dr. W. Dwianto, Prof. K. Minato and theauthor (The third from right side in the second row) surrounded by stu-

dents in lab. of Bio-material Science and Wood Base Composite onGraduate school of Agriculture, Kyoto Prefectural University, Japan

The western Pacific region knownas the Indonesian Archipelago is thecenter of intense atmospheric motionand global atmospheric changes. Themechanisms of these atmosphericchanges and fluctuations, however,have not yet been clarified due to thelack of observational data in thatregion. Recent uncontrolled fires inIndonesia demonstrated that the localimpact on the atmosphere is not limitedto the Indonesian area, but easilyexpands to its neighboring countries. Itis now strongly urged that we expandstudies of the equatorial atmosphere ona large scale. The mechanisms thatcause atmospheric changes are consid-ered to have a hierarchical structure ormultiple structures, which requiresobserving the atmosphere with differenthorizontal scales. As a key facility forthese studies, the Equatorial Atmos-phere Radar (EAR) was built right onthe equator in 2001.

The EAR is a large Doppler radarfacility locate at the equator in WesternSumatra, Republic of Indonesia. It con-sists of 560 Yagi antennas in a circularfield of 110 m in diameter. Its centralfrequency and output power are 47MHz and 100 kW (PEP: Peak-Enve-lope Power), respectively. The EARcan observe atmospheric winds and tur-bulence in an altitude range from 1.5km to 20 km. Ionospheric irregularitiesin the F-region (250-600 km altitude)

and E-region (90-120 km altitude) areother targets of the radar. The EAR hasalmost the same functionality as theMU radar, but has only 10% of its out-put power (and the sensitivity).

The EAR is operated under closecollaboration with the National Institutefor Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) ofIndonesia. A Grant-in-Aid for Scientif-ic Research for Prior-ity Areas “CouplingProcesses in theEquatorial Atmos-phere (CPEA)” iscurrently being con-ducted from 2001-2006, which is leadby Prof. S. Fukao,RISH, Kyoto Univ.As the main part ofthe project, the EARhas continued long-term observations ofthe troposphere andthe lower stratosphere since June 2001.The CPEA is a collaborative programof researchers from Kyoto University,Shimane University, Tokyo Metropoli-tan University, Nagoya University, andothers. During the course of the CPEAproject, various instruments, for exam-ple, a meteor radar, a boundary layerradar, and an X-band meteorologicalradar, have been accumulated at theEAR site.

We, the atmosphere-study group in

RISH, have continued scientific collab-orations with Indonesia since the mid1980s. We then started a number ofobservation campaigns of balloon mea-surements with Indonesian scientists in1991. In 1992, continuous operation oftwo radars, a boundary layer radar anda meteor radar started near Jakarta incollaboration with LAPAN and BPPT(Agency for Assessment & Applicationof Technology). Now, we have severalpermanent sites in Indonesia in additionto the EAR. They are two MF (mediumfrequency) radars in Pontianak (WestKalimantan) and in Pameungpeuk(South Jawa), one boundary layer radarin Serpong (Jakarta suburbs), and oneairglow imager located in Bandung.

RISH now plans to improve the scienceof the humanosphere in Indonesia. Cen-tral to the project is the large artificialforest of Acacia mangium near Palen-bang. The research aims to clarify theenvironment around the woods and toreveal the impact of utilizing woodresources on the environment by com-bining atmospheric and wood sciences.The EAR will be open to Japanese andIndonesian scientists as a collaborativefacility and, as well as other observato-

ries for atmospheric science,will provide useful data forthe project. We also hopethat our experience of contin-uous observations and long-term collaborations with peo-ple in Indonesia will con-tribute to the future develop-ment of our science.

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No. 16 March 2005

Indonesian regional network for atmospheric study

EAR antenna field (110 m diameter, 560 Yagi antennas, 100 kW peak output power)

Equatorial Atmosphere Radar (EAR) andresearch activities in Indonesia

Dr. Mamoru YamamotoRISH, Kyoto University

= Collaborative Research Facility =

I came to Japan for the first time in1999 as a trainee sponsored by JICAand was quite fortunate to get to knowthe former Wood Research Instituteand its members. Until up then, I hadbeen working with organic crystalswith applications to photonics devicesused in telecommunications. Therefore,coming to this institute meant changingdrastically the subject of research, butalso I had the opportunity to be intro-duced to the field of bio-composites,just another branch of the same Materi-als Science. At that time, under guid-ance of Prof. Yuji Imamura and Prof.Hiroyuki Yano, we made some incur-sions in producing high-strength com-posites based on kenaf and cotton fibersimpregnated with phenolic resin, andfor me it was a very pleasant start.After one year of training, I went backto Brazil quite excited to return for adoctorate course. So I did I have got ascholarship from the Monbukagakushoand came again to the same laboratory,this time under supervision of Prof.Shuichi Kawai and Prof. HiroyukiYano. As a PhD student now, my workis to establish a production method to

obtain high-strength composites basedon microfibrillated cellulose. Microfib-rillated cellulose or MFC is the samecellulose used to produce paper, butwith a different morphology. The origi-nal structure of pulp fibers is destroyedthrough a process called microfibrilla-tion, giving place to a new structurecomposed of tiny interconnectedmicrofibrils, forming a weblike net-work, which allows an expanded reac-tive area to the elements, improving theinteractive forces and consequentlydelivering enhanced strength to thefinal composites. Using this cellulosemorphology impregnated with phenolicresin, we obtained composites withmechanical properties similar to thoseof commercial magnesium alloy.

Producing materials from bio-resources is a means to accomplish theso debated carbon fixation. This hasbeen a major concern in recent yearssince the use of fossil fuels as source ofenergy during the last century releasedenormous amount of carbon dioxide,causing serious problems to the globalclimate due to the greenhouse effect.For countries like Brazil, making use ofthe huge vegetable resources is of enor-mous significance, whether from theecological point of view or from theeconomical one as well. Adding valueto products made not only from woodresources but also from fibers of plantorigin or even waste byproducts likesugar-cane baggasse, has a significanteconomical importance. In this sense, Ihope that my studies here would bebeneficial to the world’s environmentas well as for my country’s.

Since I started practicing aikido, amartial art that in essence means literal-ly synchronizing one’s “ki” with theopponent’s “ki”, I have seen thingsfrom a new perspective. The ultimategoal of aikido is to get along with your

opponent. Although it sounds paradoxi-cal, it is the essence of the philosophy.“ki”, a word usually translated simplyas energy, has a much broader mean-ing. I was told that in ancient times,“ki” was used to describe anything youcannot see but can feel. So, electricityis called “denki”, we refer to someplace’s atmosphere as “fun-iki”, the cli-mate is “tenki”, and so on. In aikido asa martial art, you feel the opponent’s kiand just adjust yours to accomplish theperfection of your movements. In thissense, being environmentally friendlyis like synchronizing human being’s kiwith nature’s. In essence, we are play-ing aikido with the universe, and Ibelieve this is the only way to achievethe equilibrium. This is the way I seemy research work and wish that itwould somehow contribute to a morelivable world.

Title Back:Illustrated by Tadayoshi Yamamoto, Mem-ber of Japan Contemporary Arts and CraftsAssociation

8

My life as a PhD student in JapanMr. Antonio Norio Nakagaito

RISH, Kyoto University

= Student from Brazil =

At the contest of “Aiki-do”

Published by H. Matsumoto(Director of RISH)Edited by Y. Imamura (Coordinatorof JSPS-LIPI Core University Pro-gram in the Field of Wood Science)T. Umezawa and Y. Honda

Research Institute forSustainable Humanosphere (RISH)Kyoto UniversityGokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, JapanTel: +81-774-38-3601/3801Fax: +81-774-38-3600http://www.rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp/