One side of the board was facing the sky.

The slab has a side that faced the sky When choosing a single slab, most people first look at the wood grain. It's beautiful, powerful, serene. I think that's fine. However, if you know a few ways to look at it, the wood grain becomes more than just a pattern. You'll be able to tell where on the log the slab came from, and which way it was standing. --- Omote-mokume (Face Grain) and Ura-mokume (Back Grain) When a log is sawn, a slab always has two faces. The side that was closer to the bark is called the omote-mokume (face grain), and the side that was closer to the center of the log is called the ura-mokume (back grain). The omote-mokume is the side that was on the outside and faced the sky while the tree was alive. You can tell the difference by looking at the growth rings. If you look at the end grain (cross-section) of the slab, the side where the arc of the growth rings is raised like a mountain is the ura-mokume, and the side that appears concave is the omote-mokume. These two sides have different properties. The omote-mokume has a tighter grain and is more beautiful, while the ura-mokume is slightly coarser. And when it dries, the slab will warp so that the omote-mokume side becomes concave. This is because the outer part of the growth ring shrinks more. That's why, traditionally, floorboards and thresholds were laid with the omote-mokume facing up. If the omote-mokume is facing up, both ends will lift up when it warps. If it's the other way around, the middle of the board will bulge, causing people to trip. The same consideration is given when deciding which side of a single-slab tabletop to finish. The beauty of the wood grain, the direction of warping, and how the legs are attached. Based on these, it is decided which side is "up." --- Itame (Flat Grain) and Masame (Quarter Grain) The appearance of the wood grain changes depending on where and in which direction the log is sawn. **Itame (flat grain)** is the surface sawn tangent to the growth rings. It produces a mountain-shaped pattern like bamboo shoots. It has a rich expression, and no two pieces are alike. However, it tends to move a lot in the width direction. **Masame (quarter grain)** is the surface sawn almost perpendicular to the growth rings. It has straight, parallel stripes. It is calm, moves less, and is less prone to warping. This is what has been used for torii gates at shrines and for prestigious joinery. Most single-slab dining tables are flat grain. This is because they are thick slabs sawn from an entire log. In other words, **the large, undulating wood grain that is the charm of a single slab, and the characteristic that wood moves a lot, come from the same reason**. The richness of expression and the difficulty of handling are inseparable. --- The Term "Mimi" (Live Edge) The wavy edge that remains on both ends of the slab, just inside the bark. That is called the mimi (live edge). The mimi is the part where the tree grew thickest at the very end of its life. In the year just before it was felled, it created new cells there. Therefore, the shape of the mimi is a record of the tree's later years. Some mimi are straight, while others are greatly undulating. Some have deep gouges on one side. Most of these gouges are traces of branches, damage, or pushing against neighboring trees. To leave the mimi or to cut it straight. This is a matter of preference. If the mimi is left, the fact that the slab was once a tree remains on the dining table. If it is cut, the space becomes clean and tidy. Neither is inherently correct; it depends on the character of the room and the expression of the slab's mimi. --- A Change in Perspective Leads to a Change in Choice When you look at a slab with this knowledge, it should appear a little different. Peering into the end grain, checking the direction of the growth rings. Considering which side faced the sky. Following the gouges in the mimi with your eyes, imagining what was there. Wood grain is not just a pattern; it's a history. It's **a record of where, for how many years, and how that slab stood**. When you visit our workshop, we often tell this story. Then, many people crouch down and peer into the end grain of the slabs. The slab they choose afterward is usually different from the one they initially called "beautiful."