Japanese Plastering with Earth & Lime
2023 Canelo Workshop
Japanese Plastering
with Earth & Lime
With Kyle Holzheuter
Japanese Plastering with Earth & Lime
WITH KYLE HOLZHEUTER
A 6-day workshop teaching traditional Japanese methods of wall-building and plastering, using earthen materials and lime.
The price of this workshop also includes a set of trowels for students to take home. These are specialty Japanese trowels and are required for the specific mixes and applications.
This workshop will cover a range of Japanese mixes and methods including:
- Japanese hawk and trowel application method
- Japanese bamboo wattle construction and weaving method
- Base Coat Plaster – Japanese have a traditional using of high fiber mixes, carefully aged
- Brown Coat Plaster – this is an all round coat that can be used as a base or finish
- Shikkui Lime Clay Plaster – this is a traditional lime-clay finish with high fiber
This course is suitable for both beginners and experts. You will learn everything from the basics, such as how to compose a mix, and applying that mix, and then the more advanced practices, such as Shikkui Lime Clay finishes.
Sign up for our mailing list to get notified when registrations open.
This workshop has limited spaces and will fill quickly, so be sure to register as soon as possible.
- Dates: This course begins with orientation and dinner Thursday evening and ends Wednesday 5pm, with a dinner and breakfast following morning provided.
We acknowledge this workshop is on Thanksgiving – as this was our only available time to host this workshop while Kyle was in the US. We hope air travel will be more affordable on the day of Thanksgiving. - Meals: are included in the workshop price.
- Accommodations: Camping and bunkroom beds are available and included in the workshop price. We have a few private rooms available for an extra cost.
Read more on our General Workshop Info.
Workshop Syllabus
- Arrival previous evening, Nov 23, dinner included at 7pm, introductions at 8pm
- Nov 24 – Split bamboo, Mix base coat plaster
- Bamboo lattice, apply base coat plaster over bamboo lattice
- Demonstration, mixing and practice application of brown coat earth plaster
- Apply base coat plasters
- Demonstration, mixing and practice application of the go-around coat
- Mixing and applying the go-around coat
- Canelo Site tour
- Mixing and applying earthen finish plaster
- Mixing and practice application of brown coat earth plaster
- Shikkui lime plaster finish application

Instructor: Kyle Holzhueter, PhD.
Kyle works as a builder, researcher and educator specializing in natural building materials and sustainable systems such light rice husk lime insulation, natural plasters and energy efficiency. He is a graduate of the Kyoto Plastering Institute and the first westerner in Japan to pass the level one Japanese National Plastering Exam. He also has a PhD in Bioresource Sciences from Nihon University where he researched the hygrothermal environment of straw bale walls and building practices to control moisture. In 2017 Kyle founded Permaculture Center Kamimomi, a Permaculture demonstration and education site in Okayama, Japan.