CANISTER
Size (Shape - photo left): φ90, H185.5 mm, approx. 250ml
Size (Tapered - photo right): φ95.5, H185.2 mm, approx. 400ml
Material: Beech laminated plywood / Plant-based oil varnish finish
Price: ¥36,300 (tax incl.)
Manufactured by: Woodwork (Tendo Mokko Co., Ltd.), Processing (Saga Woodcraft), Metal Handles (Tohoku Materials Co., Ltd.)
* Made-to-order. Please enquire regarding lead times.
** Selling price and manufacturers are subject to change due to circumstances.
This wooden canister featuring an “artificial woodgrain” technique is believed to have been produced in the late 1950s. No records remain regarding the original drawings, intended purpose, or usage at the time, with only a few similar prototype materials still existing. The “artificial woodgrain” technique involves colouring the adhesive layers of laminated plywood, causing a woodgrain-like pattern to appear when cut. This technique was researched as a solution to issues such as the depletion of high-quality wood resources with beautiful grain and the instability of solid wood materials. Records indicate that this product was the subject of research by staff members like Saburo Inui (who also served as technical director at Tendo Mokko) during their time at Kogei Shidosho, where Inui helped establish molded plywood technology at Tendo Mokko. Contemporary records suggest applications were considered not just for canisters but also for wooden plates and furniture. For the reproduction, we received co-operation from Tendo Mokko for creating the laminated plywood components.
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As far as possible, we have replicated the dimensions and materials of the existing prototype resources.
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While no artificial woodgrain prototype remains for the shape types, we reproduced them as a series estimated to have been produced concurrently based on the time period.
WOODEN BOWL
Size: W120.7, H56, D121.2 mm
Material: Zelkova / Urethane coating
Price: ¥22,000 tax incl.
Manufactured by: Woodwork (Zelkova from Miyagi Prefecture), Processing (Woodmaster Co., Ltd.)
* Made-to-order. Please enquire regarding lead times.
** Selling price and manufacturers are subject to change due to circumstances.
This wooden bowl (individual dish), believed to have been produced in the early 1950s, utilises a “non-circular lathe processing” technique. No original drawings, production intentions, or usage records remain, with only a few similar prototype materials still existing.
To increase the design freedom of wooden vessels’ shapes beyond the circular forms limited by conventional lathe (wood-turning) processing, Kogei Shidosho developed a “non-circular lathe” machine (cutting lathe). This enabled mass production of triangular, rectangular, oval, and other shapes, with many normative prototypes (model samples) created.
However, safety and stability issues when operating the machine likely made it difficult to proliferate the technique widely, causing it to eventually be forgotten. Today, CNC cutting (computer numerical control cutting) allows for even greater shape freedom, but this product is a reproduction showcasing the foresight and high technical prowess of Kogei Shidosho over 70 years ago through the ingenuity and efforts to transcend the conventional notion that vessels must be circular.
*** As far as possible, we have replicated the dimensions and materials of the existing prototype resources.
**** The zelkova wood maintains its natural grain colour without staining, though colour variations may occur between batches.