MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) originated and developed as one of the commercial and industrial products in the late 16th century, around the time a castle town was established in what is now Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.
It was around the end of the Edo period that furniture began to be produced for use in the daily lives of ordinary people.
Initially, they produced furniture such as chests of drawers, tea cabinets, and dining tables to meet the demand in the castle town and its surrounding areas. However, with the development of transportation, their products began to be sold in various regions, and they became known nationwide as a furniture production center.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. Drying by stacking involves "transferring" the materials.

   

  2. Woodworking shall be carried out by one of the following methods:
  (1) For chests of drawers and display cabinets, one of the following shall apply:
  (i) In the case of "framework," the following techniques or methods shall be used:
  1) The visible and deep dimensions of the frame (excluding the horizontal frame) shall be 25 millimeters or more and 45 millimeters or more, respectively.
  2) The width of the horizontal beams shall be 25 millimeters or more.
  3) The side panels and back panel shall be made of solid wood. In this case, the thickness of the wood shall be 7 millimeters or more.
  4) The joints of the frame's sills shall be made by a three-sided mortise and tenon joint in the case of a vertical sill and upper/lower sill, and by a three-sided mortise and tenon joint in the case of a vertical sill and horizontal sill.
  5) When attaching a door, the door components shall be joined using mortise and tenon joints, mortise and tenon joints, face and back mortise and tenon joints, mitered tongue and groove joints, or tongue and groove end-toe joints.
  6) When adding drawers, the drawer components shall be joined using wrap joints and dovetail joints.
  (b) In the case of wooden joinery, the following techniques or methods shall be used:
  1) The thickness of the boards used for the top panel, side panels, shelves, and support boards shall be 22 millimeters or more.
  2) The backing board shall be made of solid wood. In this case, the thickness of the board shall be 7 millimeters or more.
  3) The top panel and side panels shall be joined by a dovetail joint with five or more panels, a dovetail joint with nine or more panels, or a mortise and tenon joint with a dovetail backing.
  4) When attaching a door, the door components shall be joined using mortise and tenon joints, mortise and tenon joints, face and back mortise and tenon joints, mitered tongue and groove joints, or tongue and tenon end joints.
  5) When adding drawers, the drawer components shall be joined using wrap joints and dovetail joints.

  (2) For low tables, the following techniques or methods shall be used:
  (i) The tabletop material shall be solid wood. In this case, the thickness of the material shall be 9 millimeters or more.
  The joints of the frame are made by interlocking tenons and dowels.
  The joint between the top plate and the suction cup should be made using a dovetail joint.
  2. The joints between the top frame and the legs shall be made by three-way miter joints or square mortise and tenon joints.

  (3) The woodworking of the writing desk shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (i) The tabletop material shall be solid wood. In this case, the thickness of the material shall be 22 millimeters or more.
  (b) The joint between the tabletop and the legs shall be a mortise and tenon joint with a split wedge in the case of plank legs, and a tongue and groove joint with a sliding joint in the case of assembled legs.

   

  3. Painting shall be done in one of the following ways:
  (1) In the case of wiped lacquer painting, raw lacquer is applied repeatedly, a mixture of raw lacquer and pine soot is applied, and then refined raw lacquer is repeatedly rubbed.
  (2) In the case of Ikkanbari lacquerware, the process involves applying cotton, underlayment, and cloth, followed by rust-colored paint and an intermediate coat, and then applying refined lacquer.
  (3) When applying persimmon tannin oil by wiping, apply persimmon tannin and drying oil repeatedly, then polish with a cloth.

   

  4. When attaching metal fittings, the surface of the fittings shall be colored as follows: if made of iron, a mixture of pine resin, white wax, and pine soot; if made of raw lacquer, a mixture of iron powder; or using raw cotton; if made of copper or copper alloy, polished.

   

  raw materials

  1. The wood used shall be zelkova, birch, or Japanese white birch, or timber of equivalent quality.

  2. The metal fittings shall be made of copper, copper alloy, or iron.

  ３ 漆は、天然漆とすること。

• Work scene

  Work scene

  While some processes proceed in parallel and the order may not always be exactly as described, here is a general overview of MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) 's manufacturing process.

  Process 1: Wood

  The main types of wood used are domestic zelkova, birch, Japanese white birch, oak, katsura, and paulownia, which are selected to take advantage of the unique properties and the powerful beauty of their grain.

  

  Process 2: Natural drying

  The lumber is sorted, stacked, transshipped, and its moisture content measured, followed by natural drying for approximately six months to reduce the moisture content to below 30%. Transshipment during the intermediate period is performed to equalize the drying process. Moisture content is measured using the reliable oven-drying method, and thicker lumber, in particular, is subjected to long-term natural drying for two or five years.

  Process 3: Artificial drying

  In artificial drying, the basic method involves loading the same type of wood into the drying kiln, performing adjustment drying for 70-80 hours to finish at 8-9%, then removing it from the kiln and allowing a seasoning period.

  Step 4: Design

  The design process involves creating preliminary sketches, scale drawings, full-scale drawings, and detailed drawings, then making patterns and templates. For particularly important parts, actual molds are created for examination. The same process is followed for the lathe components, where partial preliminary assemblies are made until they are complete, and then modifications are made to finalize the mold.

  Process 5: Wood removal processing

  Wood processing begins with selecting the timber and marking it. Processing continues through stages such as cutting horizontally, vertically, bending, and dividing into smaller pieces of varying thickness and width. For pieces requiring a lathe, patterns are used for processing, but the final finish is achieved using traditional hand-operated lathe tools.

  Step 6: Decorative metal fittings

  For decorative metal fittings, copper, copper alloy, and iron are cut using their respective templates and plates, then straightened and shaped by hand filing. The color finish is achieved by lacquering or by baking on silk floss. Pulls and other similar parts are shaped by forging, colored in the same way, and finished with wax polishing.

  Step 7: Wood preparation

  When we move on to woodworking, we begin by marking the prepared components, and then create joints and connections using traditional joinery techniques.
  We will proceed to the stage where the cutting is finished and a preliminary assembly can be done.
  Joints are processed using various traditional methods, such as the interlocking tenon and dovetail joint, the split wedge tenon and rivet joint, the front dovetail joint, the dovetail joint, the main tenon and end fitting joint, the pointed tenon joint, the mitered tenon joint, the three-way miter joint, the mortise and tenon joint, and the tenon joint, using methods appropriate to each part.

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  Process 8: Assembly and Processing

  When assembly begins, the components are adjusted and a preliminary assembly is performed. At this stage, any defective parts are checked and corrected, and areas that will be difficult to finish during the final assembly are carefully treated at this stage, including joint finishing. In the final assembly, necessary parts are glued together. After markings are applied and final joint finishing is done, the functionality is adjusted, and the wood surface is finished.

  Step 9: Painting

  The primary method of painting is wipe-on lacquer. Wipe-on lacquer boasts excellent durability, brings out the natural beauty of the wood, and develops an even richer character with use—a benefit unmatched by other methods. There are various methods for Ikkambari lacquer painting, but especially for desks, laying cotton as a base coat on the top surface creates a soft feel, and layering black and vermilion paint results in a beautiful finish.

  画像をクリックすると動画が再生されます

  Process 10: Finishing

  In the finishing process, decorative metal fittings and lathe-turned parts are prepared, marked, and then cut. After installing the doors, drawers, and other parts, the functionality of each part is checked and adjusted, and the product is finished by cleaning and wiping it down.

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  50 years of experience

  Yoshiyuki Masuda was born in 1933. He became an apprentice at the age of 15 and has been making furniture for over 50 years since then. However, he recalls, "At my first apprenticeship, I mostly just babysat the master's children." When he left his first master and went to work for his second master, Masuda was given a saw by that master. When a saw becomes dull, it is "sharpened" (the blade is resharpened) and used to continue being used. Masuda must have used that saw all the time. The saw was sharpened down to the point where it could not be sharpened any further. It wouldn't wear down this much unless it was used every day. It is one of the tools that symbolizes Masuda's 50 years of woodworking.

  

  Yoshiyuki Masuda. Born in 1933. A traditional craftsman born and raised in Matsumoto. He doesn't drink alcohol. He doesn't sing, but he often listens to Saburo Kitajima.

  The carving of the character "義" (righteousness/justice)

  For example, when making a chair, a typical furniture maker would divide the work, with one person making the legs and another the backrest. However, at MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture), one person makes the entire chair from start to finish. "I have to do everything from 1 to 10, so there are difficulties that you don't get with division of labor. But on the other hand, there's also a lot of enjoyment in it," says Masuda. To show that one person has consistently made each piece, MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) engraves the maker's "signature" in an inconspicuous place on the back of each piece of furniture. It's like a guarantee that they are making high-quality furniture, even though it's not visible on the surface. In Masuda's case, it's "Yoshi," taken from his own name. The character "Yoshi," which he has engraved hundreds of times, is brimming with confidence and pride. It is thanks to this signature that former customers still tell him, "I'm still using something that Masuda made." MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) is furniture where you can see the face of the maker.

  

  A well-used saw. One side is significantly worn down.

  The more you use it, the more character it develops.

  "The best thing about MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) is that we use solid wood," says Masuda. "Solid wood" means wood that is not plywood. Nowadays, most furniture is made of plywood, so solid wood furniture is highly valued for that reason alone. Solid wood expands and contracts with humidity. This expansion and contraction must be taken into account, and it requires a high level of skill to make. "Wood has value and is interesting because it expands and contracts. If you want wood that doesn't move, you can just make it out of plastic," he says. He also added, "Things made from solid wood are durable, and they develop a beautiful patina the more you use them. With Mizumezakura cherry wood, the tiger stripe pattern (wood grain that looks like a tiger's stripe) appears, which is beautiful. Plus, because it's solid wood, it can be repaired. That's why it's so good," he said, describing the merits of furniture made from solid wood.

  

  The pieces created by Mr. Masuda are engraved with the character for "righteousness."

  "I'm not a merchant."

  One of the distinguishing features of MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) is its unique processing methods. For example, the "Chigaidōtsuki Tomehozo Sashi Shachisen Tsugi" is an extremely robust joint that is tightly secured by driving in a bamboo shachisen (a type of wooden plug). Why make things so robust? "I'm not a merchant. All I can do is make good products and make customers happy. It motivates me to see people using them," says Masuda. He is a craftsman who has continued to create products with the customer first. He also proudly states, "I'm happy when people bring their furniture in for repair. It shows how much they cherish it. That makes me feel proud." You can rest assured that anything made by this craftsman is made with care. MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) has all the conditions to make you feel that way.

  

  He made a hole with a chisel, making a pleasant clicking sound.

  Anecdotes

  The reason why it is considered robust

  MATSUMOTO Kagu (Furniture) is often described as "sturdy furniture," and the reason lies in its extremely robust joinery (the structure of the parts that connect pieces of wood). For example, the "chigaidōtsuki tomehozosashi shachisen tsugi," commonly known as "shachidome," is a prime example. This joinery requires one of the most advanced techniques and is representative of Japanese woodworking technology. When you see how the two parts are firmly connected by driving in a wooden piece called a shachisen during assembly, you can't help but say, "This is the essence of traditional craftsmanship." Structurally, it is impossible to disassemble the furniture without removing the shachisen, and removing the shachisen is extremely difficult, so it is practically safe to say that it is "unbreakable." That's why it can be used for three generations. In this day and age, it might be a good idea to own at least one piece of furniture like this.
  This is the true essence of traditional craftsmanship. Unwavering skill is absolutely essential.

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