A Sacred Place of Woodwork
In the deep mountainous forests of the Hida region in central Japan, lies a strongly embedded tradition of wood craft. Located in the Gifu prefecture, crafts people have been making timber furniture in Hida Takayama for more than 1300 years. Continuing this history and philosophy, the wood workers have refined the craft skills.
Established over a hundred years ago, HIDA Sangyo furniture cherishes the uniqueness and natural beauty of the local timber species, of Japanese oak and cedar with compressed and bent wood produced by hand even today.
Bending and compressing wood are two of the expert skills possessed by the crafts people of HIDA. This technique was passed down by the master crafts people of HIDA, creating elegant and beautiful curves. Bending wood allows the wood grain to follow the bend, producing strong, supple shapes. It is also a more efficient use of wood, compared to an identical piece cut from larger timber stock, which produces waste.
SUWARI
Collaborating with Kenya Hara, HIDA has released a line of chairs that is suited to traditional Japanese style spaces.
The collection called Suwari (meaning ‘sitting’), features fine chair legs replicate the vertical lines of Japanese screens, spreading the weight to reduce the load on traditional Japanese flooring. Suwari is designed with an awareness of vertical flow, blending naturally into both Japanese and modern architectural spaces.
Sori Yanagi Collection
The Sori Yanagi Collection armchair forms part of the collection reproducing the design work of product designer Sori Yanagi of Japan. The armchair was completed without destroying the original form by utilising sophisticated wood bending techniques in the armrest. It has been selected for the permanent collection at the Victorian & Albert Museum in London.
Hida Sangyo possesses five distinct bending techniques, including “press bending” which is suitable for tight bends, and “hand bending” which enables three-dimensional shapes to be formed, all which can be used appropriately to realize any design.
Furthermore, this traditional wood bending technique expands the possibilities of cedar; a timber deemed unsuitable for furniture due to it soft and scratch-prone characteristics.
By soaking and steaming the cedar to make the wood tissue soft, wood bending compresses the timber inside, making it possible to create a hard cedar wood.
Faced with the challenge of the cedar returning to its original size due to humidity, the team at HIDA Sangyo have successfully researched and applied chemical-free ways of making the wood keep its shape after compression.
GIFOI
Created in collaboration with the Swiss design studio Atelier Oi, the Gifoï collection takes inspiration from rocks commonly found in hot springs in Gifu Prefecture. The frame is made from beech wood, and the back and seat are made of compressed cedar wood to express the tactile feel of smooth, naturally polish rocks. The curvilinear lines replicate the lines of the body, creating a sensory connection to the wood.
The work of Hida Sangyo Co., one of the oldest furniture manufacturers in Japan, embodies four core principles. The central ideas include coexistence with the forest, consideration of inherent human needs, legacy cultivated through time, and continuous refinement of craft. Together, they have contributed to the rich history of woodcraft in the Hida region.
Each piece is handmade by expert craftspeople, designed to last your lifetime and the next. Exclusively available from K5 Furniture, you will find the HIDA products in our Fitzroy, Melbourne and Surry Hills, Sydney Showrooms.