A WORLD OF 3D KUMIKO CREATED FROM PRECISE CALCULATIONS｜MURAYAMA MOKKO

Cutting-edge technology meets timber from Kyoto
MURAYAMA MOKKO
2017
Kyoto
Kyo Sashimono (Joinery)
Shinichi Murayama
Bringing the ancient art of Kyo Sashimono to the modern age
Murayama Mokko, located in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a company that creates interior decorations using the techniques of "sashimono" joinery such as "kumiko". Sashimono is an ancient Japanese technique of making furniture and furnishings by combining boards and pieces of wood without using nails. Kyo-sashimono was born in the court nobles' culture of the Heian period (794-1185) and was greatly developed in the tea ceremony culture of the Muromachi period (1333-1573). It is elegant and gorgeous, yet delicate at the same time. The artwork beautifully reflects the spirit of the people of Kyoto, who believe that fragile things should be used with care. Representative Shinichi Murayama began his apprenticeship under his father, a frame maker, more than 30 years ago, and has since been involved in the production of numerous Kyo Sashimono, such as furnishings for Hina Dolls, sekku ornaments, tea ceremony utensils, and flower arrangement tools. While carrying on the traditional techniques, I felt a sense of crisis at the gradual decline in demand due to the decrease in the number of Japanese-style houses, and searched for a way to preserve them for the next generation. I developed a technique for making a curved-surface kumiko in 2021 and applied for a patent. I began to produce cylindrical Kyo-kumiko lighting and other products and today, I challenge myself to incorporate large kumiko and faceted interiors into modern architecture with reinforced concrete and air conditioning, in addition to small tools that I love to have at my fingertips. Our work has been well received in chapels and lobbies of first-class hotels, where the interiors are beautiful even when viewed from an overhead perspective.