It is said that the simple crafting of boxes and other items using locally sourced Amur cork tree and paulownia wood, carried out alongside farming, began in the mid-Edo period. From the late Edo period to the Meiji era, it developed into a major production center.
From the assembly process, which utilizes the straight grain of the paulownia wood and employs intricate joinery techniques using wooden pegs, to the final polishing and coloring, traditional techniques are passed down through generations.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. Drying should be done by natural drying.

  2. The boards used shall be solid wood. In this case, the thickness of the boards shall be 20 millimeters or more for the top board, side boards, shelves, support boards and bottom boards, and 8 millimeters or more for the back board and drawer bottom boards.

  3. The joining of the top, bottom, and shelves to the side panels shall be carried out using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) The top panel shall be joined to the side panels by a front-button joint of nine or more panels, a front-button joint with a dovetail joint, or a wrap-around joint.
  (2) The baseboards shall be joined to the sideboards by a front miter joint or a mortise and tenon joint of nine or more pieces.
  (3) The shelf boards shall be joined to the side boards by a butt joint.

  4. The drawer components shall be joined by a dovetail joint, a snap joint, a dovetail joint, or a simple dovetail joint.

  5. When installing doors or sliding doors, the following techniques or methods shall be used:
  (1) In the case of boards, the thickness of the board material shall be 20 millimeters or more, and the frame of the core material shall be joined by a miter joint.
  (2) In the case of framed structures, the thickness of the board material shall be 20 millimeters or more for frame members and 7 millimeters or more for end panels, and the frame members shall be joined by miter joints or mortise and tenon joints.

  6. The finishing touches involve applying a textured finish, coloring with alder wood, and then polishing with wax.

   

  raw materials

  1. The wood used should be paulownia.

  2. The nails shall be made of Deutzia wood or of equivalent material.

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

   

• Work scene

  Work scene

  In the manufacture of paulownia wood chests, one craftsman often handles almost all of the processes, from selecting the wood and creating the mortise and tenon joints to assembling and finishing the chest. When pieces of wood of varying lengths are handled by a single craftsman, they are assembled one after another, eventually becoming a magnificent chest. Now, let's take a step-by-step look at the manufacturing process of OSAKA SENSHU Kiri Tansu (Paulownia Chests).

  Process 1: Building material

  The wood is then milled to distinguish between straight grain and flat grain based on the direction of the annual rings. After that, it is naturally dried for about one to two years. There are so many pieces of timber that they surround the workshop.

  

  Process 2: Tree cutting

  The wood is joined together, the grain is straightened, and 3 to 4 pieces are glued together and fixed in place (joint joining).

  

  Step 3: Straightening

  Any warping that occurs during drying is corrected by heating it with a flame, and both sides are sanded flat. In some cases, a large press is used to apply pressure and straighten the warp as if it had been ironed.

  

  Step 4: Joining process

  The joining surfaces of the boards are sanded, glue is applied, and they are fixed in place to join them. By selecting pieces of wood with matching grain patterns and gluing them side by side, it looks as if they are made from a single board.

  

  Step 5: Wood preparation

  The processed boards are cut to size to create the base pieces for the drawer fronts, hinged doors, and sliding doors.

  

  Process 6: Jointing

  The front of the main body is coated with straight-grained wood, and after drying, the surface is sanded.
  Next, the tenons are made. A "tenon" is a groove used to join two pieces of wood together. Making tenons is where the craftsman's skill is put to the test. It is done in a unique posture, with one foot placed on the board. Tenons made to the correct dimensions fit together perfectly when assembled, without any wobbling.

  

  Step 7: Assembling the main unit

  After attaching the legs and nailing the back panel, trim and adjust with an assembly saw, wipe with a damp cloth, and then do the final trimming.

  

  Step 8: Drawer and sliding door processing

  We carve out the drawers and trays, and create the sliding and hinged door sections. We then make the drawers and trays to fit the main body and begin the assembly process.

  

  Process 9: Finishing

  The piece is then trimmed with a finishing plane, colored, and fitted with metal fittings.

  

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  An elegant appearance and a dignified presence. That is the charm of OSAKA SENSHU Kiri Tansu (Paulownia Chests).

  Paulownia wood, a beautiful material nurtured by Japan's climate and environment. Its soft hues, beautiful grain, and understated metal fittings, combined with the meticulous handiwork characteristic of traditional crafts, create an elegant atmosphere in this paulownia chest of drawers. Its soft texture is so inviting, you'll want to touch it.

   

  High-quality paulownia wood comes from Aizu.

  The technique for manufacturing paulownia chests was established in Osaka during the mid-Edo period. Subsequently, paulownia chests spread to Izumi via Sakai, and it is said that a production area was formed in the Senshu region. It is said that in the past, in 1819 (Bunsei 2), farmers were permitted to plant paulownia saplings as a side business, which led to an increase in paulownia tree planting, and later the trees became the raw material for paulownia chests.
  As the old saying goes, "When a girl was born, a paulownia tree was planted in the garden, and when she got married, the tree was cut down and a paulownia chest of drawers was made," indicating that paulownia trees grow relatively quickly. The paulownia wood used for paulownia chests of drawers is mainly sourced from the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, but recently, imported timber from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and other states in the United States has also been coming in. In China, people's communes are also planting trees for export to Japan, but the annual rings are larger compared to natural forests. In this respect, Pennsylvania, for example, is at a latitude close to the Aizu region, so high-quality timber grows there.

  

  An elegant paulownia wood chest of drawers crafted using traditional techniques.

  Mr. Tanaka, who loves traditional crafts and is full of vitality.

  

  A unique tool is used to draw a line that serves as a guide for cutting.

  Matching the wood grain is crucial for a paulownia wood chest of drawers.

  I visited Tanaka Furniture Factory in Kishiwada, Osaka. Cut lumber was lined up around the workshop. In one corner, Minoru Tanaka, a traditional craftsman of paulownia chests, was sorting paulownia wood. "I was separating the wood according to its grain and length to determine which part of the chest it would be used for. Then I aligned the grain, marked it, and passed it on to the joining process. I quite enjoy this process." He reads the subtle flow of the wood grain so well that even when the pieces are joined side by side, the joints are completely invisible. It is clear that he has been working with paulownia wood for many years. I was amazed by his superb eye for selection. After he stood up, a cushion that looked like it had been used for many years was left behind. Around it, cut lumber of various lengths were arranged radially. It was like a large sunflower with the cushion as its center and the lumber as its petals.

  

  The wood sorting area looked like a magnificent flower of wood in full bloom.

   

  

  Making the tray. Nearing completion.

  Even a single tool reveals the craftsman's individuality.

  At Tanaka Seisakusho, a relatively large number of young craftsmen are at work. This is a somewhat unusual sight in a workshop for traditional crafts. Some of them graduated from university and worked as salaried employees, but then decided they "absolutely wanted to work in the craft" and entered this world by attending vocational schools. Mr. Tanaka recalls when the young man first came to the workshop, "I was worried, saying, 'The apprenticeship world is tough. Can you handle it?' But then I was struck by the tools he had. Someone who has such well-maintained tools will be fine. I was convinced he would become a wonderful craftsman." Making a paulownia chest of drawers requires various kinds of tools such as chisels and metal chisels. However, it takes more than five years for each one to become familiar to the hand and for the craftsman to master its use. It may not be obvious to the untrained eye, but even the way a craftsman maintains his tools reveals his individuality.

  

  His eyes are serious while he's working.

  Craftsmen who enjoy making chests of drawers

  OSAKA SENSHU Kiri Tansu (Paulownia Chests) are assembled without using nails, by fitting tenons together. Therefore, in the joinery process, the tenons must be carved out with the slightest error. The precision is like watching marquetry. In particular, the wardrobe with a valuables box, made by Mr. Tanaka and awarded at the Japan Traditional Craftsmen's Exhibition, had hidden doors and mechanisms like a puzzle box, and the "playful techniques" that are not visible when the doors are closed were impressive.
  Everyone in the workshop works silently and diligently. Their movements suggest they are enjoying the delicate feel of the paulownia wood as they work. In this workshop, one craftsman handles every step of the process, from selecting the wood to joining the pieces and finishing, without any division of labor. Because the process isn't divided among different workers, the finished chest of drawers likely feels like an extension of the craftsman, or perhaps like a beloved child.

  • 

    The top row shows planes, and the bottom row shows special tools for making tenons.

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    Metal fittings used for cutting wood

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    They also make small items such as autograph board holders.

  Anecdotes