At RoundRiver Institute in Genoa, where Taylor lives and hosts workshops, stands a torii peace gate, made of two upright columns, a crossbar and a bowed roof with cedar shingles topped with copper.

The first, a torii gate, was completed recently, on Aug. 18. It’s a large structure largely crafted from yellow cedar sourced near Seward. The pieces that make up the structure are up to 2-feet ...