Product Introduction

Furniture that expresses the beautiful craftsmanship of Japan

Ryosuke Nagata Shoten × MAKINO URUSHI DESIGN

The Western-style furniture of Ryosuke Nagata Shoten dates back to the Meiji era.

The furniture makers were ship carpenters with advanced skills who had been building wooden ships in Japan.

For 150 years, they have continuously woven together techniques born from the fusion of Western design and traditional Japanese skills.

Makino Urushi Design has inherited the art of lacquerware, a material symbolizing traditional Japanese culture.

They have been highly acclaimed for their precise skills through their involvement in the restoration of various temples, shrines, and Buddhist statues, including the Kinkaku-ji Shariden, one of Japan's representative temple architectures.

Here, two inherited Japanese handcrafted techniques meet, giving birth to unique furniture that can only be made in Japan.

Lines created with chisels and planes

Each step of creating the wooden base is done by hand by skilled artisans.

The "kurimono" (carved pieces) decorations used on the table legs are sculpted from a single piece of wood using only chisels.

The artisan's delicate touch creates deeply carved curves that can only be achieved by hand.

All the lines that finish the chair are created with planes.

The chair's lines are meticulously refined by repeatedly using numerous planes of different shapes and sizes, thousands of times, for areas with varying angles and gently curved sections.

Clad in green

The first step in lacquer painting is preparing the base. It begins with smoothing the wood surface to ensure good adhesion of the lacquer. Then, aluminum foil is applied by hand, creating a base where transmitted light reflects in various directions. Applying the foil is a meticulous process; if any unevenness remains after the foil is applied to areas other than flat tabletop surfaces, it will show as bumps after the painting is finished. Therefore, after firmly fixing the foil, it is polished carefully to prevent peeling, completing the raw base.

Subsequent steps involve repeated painting and polishing, resulting in a deep, layered color.

The green coating and the unique "translucent amber" color characteristic of lacquer create a distinct luster unmatched by other paints. As it is used, its translucency gradually increases, and a beautiful transformation occurs as it gains more sheen.

The beautifully polished, lustrous surface changes its appearance depending on the angle at which light hits it.

By carefully finishing not only the flat parts but also the curved parts from the base up, the same components reveal new expressions depending on the viewing angle and time of day. This is the miracle of beauty that can only be created through the cumulative work of artisans' hands.