Talk and Listen to the Wood - Interview with Mizokawa Furniture Store
Love for the beauty of Japanese wood and sustainable furniture for the future
Established in 1960 in Kyotango City located at the northern tip of Kyoto Prefecture, Mizokawa Furniture Store’s business roots are in tategu, or Japanese joinery furniture manufacturing. Tetsuo Takasugi, the director of the company who was born into the furniture business family, has always loved watching how furniture was made by skilled craftspeople since he was a little boy. For him, the sight of craftsmen making furniture was fascinating beyond belief.
Takasugi talks not only about the quality of furniture they produce but also the philosophy behind it. He is very concerned about our planet’s future as well as that of his industry. His “Green Leaf Philosophy” and “KIKOE” series furniture symbolize his concern and determination. It is about a simple yet circulative lifestyle which nurtured a rich spirit and was the foundation where all kinds of unique cultural forms such as “satoyama” and sayings like “mottai nai (No waste)” were born.
“KIKOE” is a series of original furniture made from Japanese wood such as cedar, cypress and pine. Since ancient times, Japanese people have lived amongst these woods. For example, Sugi, or Japanese cedar, an indigenous species in Japan, is not only very warm and gentle to the touch, but also regulates temperature and humidity, and absorbs substances such as ozone and carbon dioxide. The boxes that have protected the treasures of Nara’s Shoso-in Imperial Repository for over 1300 years are actually made of cedar.
“KIKOE” was born from Takasugi’s wish to bring together a variety of Japanese woods that have long been used by the Japanese people in a design that allows people to directly feel the warmth of the wood, while making stylish furniture that can be incorporated into modern life.
Utilizing his background as a joinery furniture company,
the KIKOE products use no nails and very little paint
in order to let the users feel the true touch of wood.
You can find no handle or nub to open the drawers or
cabinet, so how can you open them? Push the surface of
the drawer lightly – you can’t open the drawer without
feeling the wood, and once you experience the feeling
you will never want to stop touching it. Such precise
structures rely on Mizokawa’s experienced craftspeople,
of course. “Our craftspeople listen to and talk with
woods,” Takasugi says proudly
Though Takasugi is not
himself a furniture craftsman,
he dedicates himself to
be the best promoter
of furniture made by his
craftspeople. “My job is to
create demand for made-to-
order furniture and to
provide our craftspeople
with work that allows them to keenly utilize their
skills and knowledge in the product,” Takasugi says.
He is keen to learn from other industries and actively
interacts with a variety of people. DESIGN WEEK
TANGO is one of the new challenges Mizokawa tried
this year.
Green Leaf Philosophy
About 70% of Japan’s landmass is covered with woodland. About 50%
of the woodland
is natural forest,40% is planted and the remaining
10% is bamboo or scrub.
Most of the artificial woodland consists of
acicular (needle-leaf) trees such as
Sugi (cedar), Hinoki (cypress) and
Matsu (pine). It takes 30 to 50 years for the trees
to grow big enough
to be used as good materials and it’s not difficult to imagine that the
forestry
industry is now declining due to high costs and a lack of
human
resources.
There is a fact that many of the trees in Japan are left without
care which
results in
depleted woodlands, though maintaining woodland
is essential for
keeping
our safety and preserving
the natural environment:
preventing
landslides,
reducing greenhouse effect gas,
and maintaining
the mountain
ecosystem
which feeds water into the rivers and seas.
What was life like in the Heian period (794-1185), when life continued without oil, electricity, or gas? People used their inherited knowledge and experience to the utmost in inventing and producing all of their necessities. Care and attention to details was paramount and people always tried to make the best use of materials without waste. They consumed only what they needed and made sure to design durable and attractive products that could be used and passed on for many generations.
Kyoto is the city where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997.We, Mizokawa Furniture Store, have no doubt that we should take the initiative to say goodbye to materialistic-oriented wealth and start promoting the culturally-rich life of Kyoto. We believe that it is urgently necessary to establish a new social structure where “economy” and “environment” are in a respectful and good balance.
In addition, a survey by a private firm predicts that the shortage of artisans and workforce will increase further such as in the field of bricklayers, carpenters, furniture makers, welders and others. Manufacturing traditions, like cultural heritages, cannot be built up overnight. And once it is lost, it is almost impossible to revive. We hope that we can create a society where the experienced skills of craftspeople and cutting-edge technology can coexist and make our lives better and happier as well as more sustainable.