The craftsmanship of Hida's furniture maker "Nissin Furniture Crafters" for the future. 

What is inherited and what is created,
All for the sake of those who use them.

Takuya Kitamura was appointed as the 4th president of Nissin Furniture Crafters at the beginning of Reiwa. He connects the thoughts that have been handed down from his great-grandfather's era to the future.

Mr. Kitamura: "Furniture making started 100 years ago in Takayama. There were forests in this area, and wood was abundant. Nissin Furniture Crafters started about 75 years ago, and at that time we made shovel handles and kotatsu legs in small quantities."

The era of high economic growth arrived shortly after the end of the war. Nissin Furniture Crafters devised a unique simple design and established an era in the production of furniture with legs.

Since that time, they have continued to create beautiful designs by incorporating the technique of bending wood, which is synonymous with Hida furniture.

Mr. Kitamura: "Hard wood is steamed to soften the fibers, which allows the wood to bend. Even the slightest change in the wood can cause it to crack, so it requires advanced techniques, but it is less wasteful than cutting wood. Bending wood is a manufacturing method that fits the times we live in, one that reduces environmental impact."

Nissin Furniture Crafters also dries wood cut from logs in-house. By doing this, it seems that the best wood can be selected according to the product.

Nissin Furniture Crafters' chairs are slim. The showroom is designed to be masculine, but the form of the furniture is somewhat feminine. It is the skill of Nissin Furniture Crafters to bring together different images in a warm atmosphere.

Mr. Kitamura: "Since chairs are used every day, it's important that they're easy to handle. we have chairs in the 3kg range that even women and children can handle with one hand. Pursuing a 'subtraction design' that follows Scandinavian furniture, wee have light and simple products."

Of course, the strict strength test is also cleared. All furniture comes with a 10-year warranty, so you can buy with confidence.

I actually observed the process of manufacturing chairs (please inquire about general tours).

Chair backboard material after bending is finished

Numerous jigs essential for furniture making

Even small parts are carefully processed one by one.

In the assembly process, machine values are adjusted according to the day's temperature and humidity.

The table legs are checked carefully by eye.

The finish before painting is always polished by hand.

Chair frames after painting

Sewing work that affects the comfort of chairs and sofas

At the factory, I was surprised at the number of processes involved in making one chair. So many craftsmen are involved in hand-finishing the chair. Before and after the factory tour, your perspective on furniture should change significantly.

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Contemporary master craftsmen who worked on the restoration of the fittings of the Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace 

When talking about Nissin Furniture Crafters, one thing that cannot be overlooked is the restoration of cultural properties. In 2018, the restoration work of Nagoya Castle's Hommaru Palace, which took nine years, was completed. At that time, the company that was in charge of the restoration work for the fittings was Nissin Furniture Crafters.

We interviewed Mr. Shingo Kawakami, who was involved in the actual restoration work.

Mr. Kawakami: "Restoring fittings of historical value requires a special technique of conservation and repair of cultural properties. In the restoration of the Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace, we were called upon to be in charge of the fittings."

For example, these are made by combining several parts using a traditional technique called "Kumiko". At Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace, it is said that he delivered dozens of types of fittings such as shoji and transoms based on literature and historical materials.

All parts of the Kumiko work are assembled without nails or glue, and are fine-tuned and framed to the nearest 1/100th of a millimeter... is a mind-boggling task.

Mr. Kawakami: "This is a door of a certain precious storehouse. I'm remaking something that was made by a craftsman long ago, but it may be restored by a craftsman in the future."

It's kind of a romantic story. I just saw in the recent news that such "traditional architectural craftsmanship" will be registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is likely to become a technology that attracts more and more attention in the future!

Mr. Kitamura: "There are many furniture makers in Hida, but as a woodworkers' association, we have horizontal ties and get along well. We have an increasing number of young woodworkers, and many women are also active in the industry. I would like to continue to spread the word about the excellence of Hida furniture to the entire world."

President Kitamura is a younger member of the group in the woodworking association. He is working on unprecedented information dissemination, including a showroom that was renovated on the occasion of the company's 70th anniversary, as well as focusing on web strategy and SNS dissemination.