White wood/Black wood

Japanese: 白木･黒木 - しろきくろき

Shiraki is pronounced "shiraki" in modern times and refers to unpainted wood, but in the past, it was used to refer to wood from which the bark had been removed, in contrast to kuroki, which referred to wood with the bark still attached. In ancient Japanese architecture, plain cypress wood was used for shrines and palaces, and its beautiful grain was valued, but there were also cases where wood with the bark still attached was chosen. In the Daijokyu Seiden, a temporary shrine built for the Daijosai festival, the pillars were made of black wood and the roof was thatched with freshly cut green grass.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

白木は現代では〈しらき〉と読んで，塗装されていない木材を指すが，古くは樹皮がついたままの木材を指す黒木に対比して，樹皮を取り去った木材を白木と呼んだ。日本の古代建築では，神社や宮殿に白木のヒノキ材が用いられ，その美しい木肌が尊重されたが，一方では樹皮のついたままの木材が選ばれる場合があった。大嘗祭（だいじようさい）に建てられる臨時の神殿である大嘗宮正殿では，柱は黒木の掘立柱で，屋根も新しく刈った青草で葺（ふ）いた。

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