In order to break with existing notions of urushi lacquer and expand its image as something familiar in everyday life, lacquer artist/artisan Yohko Toda and museum curator Yuki Kajikawa have created a small space where visitors can experience black urushi lacquer with their entire body and all their senses.

The Tokunaga studio is located in an idyllic satoyama.** The mood of the workspace is very meditative in that the process is done almost completely without electric tools.  Their three-person workshop iincludes founder Yoshio Tokunaga, his long-term first disciple, and his daughter and heir apparent, Yuriko.  Together, they produce original wooden furniture using the senior Tokunaga’s unique, highly refined hand-wood plane process that produces a natural wood sheen and luster that increases over time. Tokunaga collaborated with a steel blade craftsman to create a series of tiny, two-way planes central to their furniture-making concept.  Convention planes are moved in one direction -  pulled in Japan, pushed in the west. Tokunaga’s planes work in both directions, allowing them to work rhythmically and continuously, moving planes back and forth without having to interupt the flow to change directions.  A consistent line resulting from smooth back-and-forth movements is subtly seen on the surface of their finished work, regardless of the angle at which it is viewed. Completely rejecting any use of sandpaper because it severely scars the surface of the wood, their plane process opens the “pores of the wood.”  A clear comparison between planed and sandpapered wooden surfaces can be seen via microscope.  Surprisingly durable, hand-crocheted cushioning made from Japanese washi paper by the Tokunaga Studio adds softness and texture to their furniture. The studio’s vision is to re-invigorate and expand the culture of traditional, local hand-plane finishing while ensuring the sustainability of essential domestic raw materials through reforestation and supporting the resurgence of local satoyama culture for future generations.   

**An iconic Japanese agricultural valley surrounded by forested mountains and bamboo groves, where traditional rural life utilizes local nature in ecologically sustainable agriculture and cottage industry.

Japanese Zelkova wood - Zelkova is a highly esteemed wood in Japan, prized for its beauty and versatility. The heartwood ranges from light to medium golden brown color and is distinct from the outer sapwood, which is lighter and yellowish-brown.  

Zelkova boasts an elegant and dynamic grain pattern that runs irregularly in wavy formations, making it a popular choice for high-visibility furniture. The grain gives it resistance to cracking, denting, and marring. It generally maintains stability and resists warping despite changes in heat and humidity.

Zelkova is suitable for both hand and machine woodworking.  It turns well, works well with glue, and has high versatility in furniture-design applications. Zelkova is ideal for high-end works where the natural beauty of the wood grain is showcased. 

There is improved stability, color, and grain tightness with wood from older zelkova trees, and proper seasoning can further reduce warping or twisting.

Yoshino Cedar wood - Yoshino cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) has been cultivated in Nara Prefecture since the 1500s and is renowned for its uniform and dense grain. Stronger than commercially grown cedar from other parts of Japan, these meticulously cultivated trees produce wood ranging in color from white to shades of pink. Yoshino cedar is pleasantly aromatic, and its mostly knot-free appearance gives a clean and clear impression.

Initially, young Yoshino cedar saplings are planted very close together. As the trees grow, they are gradually thinned out for harvesting, thus allowing more room and sun to nurture the remaining trees. This consistent thinning-out harvesting process continues for over 100 to 200 years when the last, very large trees are finally cut.

Yoshino cedar is known for construction use, especially for high-end, high-visibility use. Traditionally, it has been used to make sake barrels because of its fragrance and resistance to rot and has commonly been used for different woodcrafts, including furniture making.

Mulberry wood - Mulberry wood is highly regarded in Japan for crafting furniture.  The heartwood ranges from golden to golden brown, and a fine patina increases with age. Slowly, the color turns to chocolate brown over time, eventually penetrating the wood core itself. The color is especially appreciated in the Way of Tea (the tea ceremony world) for its subtle and refined elegant quality.

Mulberry wood is prized for two distinct surface patterns produced by different sawing methods. One is the medium-texture, straight grain achieved from plain sawing. The other is “ray flakes” or “ray flecks.”  This beautiful natural pattern is achieved by sawing perpendicular to the growth rings, exposing the medullary rays.***

Mulberry is durable, maintains stability, and resists shrinking and warping, insects, and rotting. It has good longevity and resists weathering, so it is used for indoor and outdoor furniture.  The wood has no characteristic odor,

Mulberry is suitable for both hand and machine woodworking. It turns well, works well with glue, and is highly versatile in furniture design applications.  

***,Medullary rays are bands of cells that run from the center of the tree to the outside. They move nutrients between growth rings and store sugar in winter. 

Washi paper from Kozo - The washi paper-making process was introduced into Japan from Korea in the early 600’s. Most washi is made from Kozo, the paper mulberry tree. Unlike wood pulp paper, which requires the felling of trees, washi production from kozo is very sustainable since the same trees can be harvested annually for about 40 years.   The process begins with stripping the outer bark to access the white inner bark, then soaking it in water for several days to remove impurities. After boiling, the softened fibers are pounded and broken down into fibers, then placed in a vat of water.  Adding a gelatinous fluid from a special plant root keeps the fibers in solution so they can more easily be scooped up on a bamboo screen and bound together. The screen size depends on the size of the paper being made.  Rocking the screen causes the fibers to settle on the surface with a consistent thickness and facilitates the fiber bonding, resulting in strong and durable paper. Kozo washi is known for its long fibers.  The longer the fibers, the greater the resulting paper’s strength, durability, and versatility.

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Washi paper from Ganpi - The washi paper-making process was introduced into Japan from Korea in the early 600’s. Though most washi is made from Kozo, the paper mulberry tree, a smaller amount is made from the Japanese native ganpi tree, a member of the Zingcho flower family. The slow-growing and slow-generating gampi tree is harvested in the wild. Unlike wood pulp paper, which requires the felling of trees, washi production from ganpi is sustainable since the same trees can be repeatedly harvested over time.  The process begins with stripping the outer bark to access the inner bark, then soaking it in water to remove impurities. After boiling, the softened fibers are pounded and broken down into fibers, then placed in a vat of water.  Adding a gelatinous fluid from a special plant root keeps the fibers in solution so they can more easily be scooped up on a bamboo screen and bound together. The screen size depends on the size of the paper being made.  Rocking the screen causes the fibers to settle on the surface with a consistent thickness and facilitates the fiber bonding, resulting in strong and durable paper. Ganpi washi has shorter fibers, making it smooth and shiny. It is durable and insect-resistant and often used in art for painting.