The technique of wood joint, as applied in wooden architecture, is an important factor in Japanese woodwork designs. The same tradition and technique are inherited in chair making that can be regarded as tiny wooden architecture. Although being simple, it provides a framework for creating excellent designs. A simpler design requires more advanced techniques.
木造建築でも活用されている「木を組む」技術は、日本の木のデザインを支える重要な要素です。小さな木の建築ともいえる椅子づくりにも、この伝統と技術が受け継がれ、単純ながらも優れたデザインを生み出す背景となっています。シンプルなものほど、高度な技術が要求されます。
A chair is comprised of several parts. A knock-down chair is the one in which the work of fabrication is left to the users; therefore, the parts of the chair which would not otherwise been seen or touched require extra precision. It was a challenge to refine not just the form but the structure and the manufacturing processes.
椅子は、いくつかの部品で構成されています。それを組み上げずに、使い手が組み立てることで完成させるノックダウン方式の椅子は、通常なら見えないところが見えたり、触られたり、精度が要求されたり。造形だけでなく構造や製造方法を一から見直す挑 戦でもありました。
Upholstering wooden parts with fabric or leather provides new possibilities in chair design. It is not meant to cover up the wooden parts. it is a technique to take advantage of wood as a material in finely adjusting the contact points between the wood and the fabric. While it is a traditional technique, it also is a new approach in which innovation is required.
木部を布や革で覆うことで、椅子のデザインに新しい可能性が生まれます。それは、単に木部を隠すことではなく、木と張り地の接点をぎりぎりまで調整しながら、木という素材を活かす技術なのです。伝統的でありながら、常に革新が求められる新しい取り組みです。
We use natural, solid wood. Each one of wood pieces has unique colors and grains, and they are the ones that give each one of the chairs we make one and only expression that will never recur. As we very much treasure this wonderful natural resource, we aim at product development with modest coloring and sorting, making the best of the raw material.
私たちが使う木材は、天然の無垢材です。一つとして同じものがない個性的な色や木目があり、それが椅子に一期一会の表情を与えます。この素晴らしい資源を大切に使いたい。色の調整や選別はひかえめにして、素材をできるだけそのまま活かした製品開発をめざしています。
As you carve a piece of wood, the colors and grains that have been hidden inside the wood are unveiled. It is a facet that could not been seen by just cutting the wood straight through. And, wood carving creates a form with a distinct curve. A piece of chair with sculptural beauty and comfy touch is created by carving out the wood up to the limit of its structural strength.
木を削ると、内部に潜む豊かな木目と色が現れます。真っ直ぐに切るだけでは得られない表情。そして、独特な曲線を持ったフォルムが形づくられます。強度とのバランスをはかりながら限界まで削ぎ落とすことで、彫刻的な美しさと手触りの良さを持った椅子が生まれます。
In order to shape wood into the three-dimensional structure of a chair, wood has to be connected together. We get out ideas to make a chair that is strong enough as a living ware, gives a sense of security as a structure, and even provides decorative aspects. We think of new techniques in a careful manner and apply them to our chair making.
木材を立体的な造形としての椅子にするためには、 木を繋いでいく必要があります。暮らしの道具として必要十分な強度を兼ね備え、構造として安心感があり、それが装飾的にも活かされるアイデアを探り出す。新しい技法を丁寧に考えながら、椅子づくりに活用しています。
A tatami mat used to be a seating ware in Japan since ancient times. Rush grass, or igusa, used for making a tatami mat is a natural material with comfy touch gentle to the skin. We would like to shed a light on this quality Japanese material as chair cloth. We would like to be engaged in the manufacturing of products that are experienced in the five senses especially as chairs come into direct contact with the body.
日本では古来、座具であった「畳」。畳おもてに使われている「いぐさ」という素材は、肌に優しく心地良い感触をもった天然素材です。この優れた日本の素材を椅子の張り地として見直したい。体に直にふれる椅子だから、五感で感じる製品づくりに取り組んでいきます。
Splicing woods is a very important technique that determines the structure of a chair, and it also means using wood materials without unnecessary waste. The part that is spliced together becomes weak, but the know-how and the fine processing techniques of splicing is the one that makes up the weakness. Although splicing is not readily visible, it makes another face of the chair.
木を接ぐことは、木材を無駄なく利用することでもあり、椅子の構造的な成り立ちを決定づける大切な技術です。接いだ箇所は弱くなりますが、弱さを補うのが接ぎ方のノウハウと精緻な加工技術です。見えない部分に隠されてしまう「接ぎ」は、 椅子のもう一つの顔でもあるのです。
Most wood as a material is light enough to float on water. Taking advantage of its lightweight, we would like to make a product that is so light that one would be surprised when holding it up. Wood is a material with tenacity and strength despite of its lightweight. We tackle to make chairs with good strength and comfortable seating experience while pursuing the thinness of the structural parts.
多くの木は水に浮く軽い素材です。この軽さを活かして、手に持ったときに「えっ」と驚くような製品もつくってみたい。木は、軽くても粘りのある強さをそなえた素材です。パーツの細さと薄さを追求しながら、十分な強度と快適な座り心地がえられる椅子にも挑戦しています。
The seat fabric and leather is one of the major factors which determine the character of a chair. We have challenged to make a product with unique coloring, making use of the local indigo dyeing techniques available in Tokushima for dyeing leather. We hope to be a manufacturer rooted in the local region with love of home even through tiny matters.
布や革の張り地は、椅子の個性を決定づける大きな要素です。私たちは地元徳島の伝統的な藍染め技術を革の染色に使い、独特な色合いをもつ製品づくりに挑戦しました。小さなことでも、徳島生まれを大切にする気持ちを持って、地域に根づいたものづくりをやっていきます。
A straight piece of solid wood is steamed to be bent into shape. Bentwood is a technique from old days but still provides the backbone for creating new designs. Making use of the primary characteristics of wood, this technique makes it possible to create rich and unique expressions, which would not otherwise be possible by just cutting out the wood, such as an organic line that fits the curve of the body.
真っ直ぐの木を蒸して曲げる。「曲げ木」は、古くからの技法でありながら、いまも新しいデザインを生み出す背骨の役割を果たします。木材本来の性質を活かしつつ、切り出すだけでは実現しない豊かな表情を生み出す技術は、身体に添ったカーブと独特の個性を椅子に与えます。
We have native trees in Japan that do not occur in other regions of the world. So, we would like to use these Japanese native woods, which have been long used for traditional architectures and interior decors, as much as possible. We continue to make use of softwood, which had otherwise been hard to use as a structure for making chairs, by exercising technical ingenuity.
日本には、他の国に無い固有の木があります。昔から現在にいたるまで、多くの建築や室内装飾に活用されている日本の木を見直し、積極的に使っていきたい。椅子の構造体としてはやわらかいために使いづらかった針葉樹も、技術的な工夫をほどこして製品化を続けています。
The last, fine process of finishing up a chair cannot be attained by machinery. It is indeed a process that can only be achieved through the touch and feel of the human hands. Although having the same shape, each piece of wood has slightly different characters. Our craftsmen read such differences by the hands and finish up each piece of chair devoting a great deal of time and care. It is only made possible by experienced craftsmanship.
椅子づくりの最後の細かな仕上げは、機械加工ではできない、まさに「手の感覚」だけが頼りとなる工程です。木は同じ形でも、性格は微妙に違います。その違いを手で読み取りながら一脚一脚 を手間ひま掛けて仕上げるためは、熟練した職人の技があってはじめて可能となります。