News & ON Exhibits EXHIBITHeads Designed by Ibuki Kaiyama kinoe Japanese Cedar Japanese Cypress The top rail of this chair is made from a tree branch, revealing the wood’s natural shapes and textures. This furniture design highlights the possibilities of using Japanese Cedar and Japanese Cypress in their entirety, without waste, including branches. Designed and made by Ibuki Kaiyama Branch Spoons Various local Japanese woods
JAPAN HOUSE LOS ANGELES 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA (800) 516-0565 Japan House continues HIDA: A Woodwork Tradition in the Making, thru Apr. 12. This exhibit explores the woodworking heritage of the Japanese town of Hida in Gifu Prefecture and the work of century-old furniture manufacturer Hida Sangyo Co., Ltd. Among the works on display are a chair designed by the late Sori Yanagi utilizing wood-bending techniques, branch spoons created by Ibuki Kaiyama utilizing a traditional chiseling technique, and examples of the Hida Sangyo’s revolutionary wood compression techniques that have transformed Japan’s softwood Cedar trees into a more durable material for use in furnituremaking (see below). Designed by Hisae Igarashi Designed by Sori Yanagi AWASE Yanagi Arm Chair Beech Compressed Japanese cedar This Beech wood furniture series, In the permanent collection at the Victoria and based on a traditional Windsor Albert Museum in London. chair design, aims to create a simple, cheerful impression. The seat plate can be easily removed to change the fabric covering.
All three chairs are manufactured by Hida Sangyo Co., Ltd.
Hida Sangyo and the late Sori Yanagi collaborated on the realization of original furniture designs that previous manufacturers were unable to fabricate efficiently. This lead to the development of new designs using an innovative bending and compression technology.
March-April, 2020
Woodworker West
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