Leonardo da Vinci's notes reveal he understood wood charring benefits before the Japanese. Research published in Zenodo suggests Leonardo described the protective qualities of charred wood over a century before the Japanese codified Yakisugi. Yakisugi is a Japanese architectural technique that chars wood to protect it.

The Japanese Yakisugi method was written about in the 17th and 18th centuries. Leonardo's notes predate this. He wrote about charring wood to protect it from water, fire, insects, and fungi. This extends the timeline of understanding wood preservation techniques.

This discovery highlights Leonardo's broad understanding of practical science. It also challenges the established history of Yakisugi as a purely Japanese invention. Experts are now re-evaluating the origins of wood charring techniques.

Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance polymath. He produced over 13,000 pages of notes. These notes contained inventions foreshadowing future technologies.

Further research will focus on analyzing Leonardo's notes. Scientists will explore the extent of his knowledge on material science. This could reveal more of Leonardo's previously unknown inventions.