Based on Jin Kuramoto’s design proposal, which was narrowed down to a single item, the project finally went into production, and we look back on the products installed in TOKYO CRAFT ROOM from the verification and prototyping stages of CondeHouse and SOMES SADDLE. Despite the difficulties encountered in designing a product for the first time, the three companies’ awareness of the point they were aiming for remained unwavering. Through days of new technologies and innovations, people, materials, and various parts were assembled into a single product.
Trial and error to update technology
“As soon as I saw the first design image, I said, ‘This is impossible’. Considering the characteristics of wood, there was a high possibility of cracking or chipping if we processed the product according to this design, so we proceeded to the first and second prototypes after repeated in-house discussions,” recalls Yoshihiro Honjo, General Manager of the Technical Development Division at CondeHouse, when he saw the first design proposal document from Kuramoto. In following the production process of both companies, there were naturally numerous difficulties. In addition to examining the technology and production ideas for realizing the design, since the objective this time was to use scrap wood, it was not possible to procure the most suitable materials for the finished product, so we had to think from among the scrap wood we had available. However, both companies also know that there are skills that can only be developed by working on a completely new project with designers from outside the company.
CondeHouse was mainly responsible for the bottom part of the basket. The wooden bottom and nine pieces of leather sewn together are glued together to create a cylindrical form. Since these nine pieces of leather have different vertical lengths, the wooden parts to be glued together also have different heights. First, the bottom wooden part is made by combining the scrap wood parts, NC shaving, and then the round shape of the bottom is further shaved by adsorbing it on a jig. Then, to match the length of the leather to be joined together, the craftsmen manually shaved the wood. This time, the wood was made from oak scraps from Hokkaido, and the final color was painted dark gray.
After the bottom was completed at CondeHouse, it was sent to the SOMES SADDLE factory. The leather is cut, thinly peeled, laminated with a core material, glued to the wood, and then sewn for the final finishing touches. All of these processes are carried out by hand by craftsmen, and the most important of all was the repeated verification of how to maintain the sharpness of the cylindrical shape expressed by joining the leather as a structure to the wood.
“We had many discussions about how to combine the leather with the wood and how to maintain the circular shape. Since leathers with different textures are connected, there is a possibility that they may shift due to differences in elasticity. We used a core material in the second prototype that was not included in the first prototype,” said Someya, president of SOMES SADDLE.
In the end, they arrived at a specification of 1.5mm leather, layered with two 1mm paper cores, and sandwiched between the leather on both sides to provide strength. The leather is then stitched together with horizontal stitches to enhance the rounded silhouette. SOMES SADDLE’s leather products are basically made by sewing machine except for some parts that require strength. It is a rare case that everything from stitching to sewing is done by hand.
Trial and error was used in every aspect of the project to meet the challenges and ingenuity of the site. The basket was completed not by enhancing either of the two materials, wood and leather, or the techniques of the two companies, but by making the best use of each of their skills. Kuramoto felt the same way when he saw the finished product.
“I think the combination of wood and leather multiplied the qualities of each material,” he said. “I realized that they are very compatible materials. I think the synergistic effect came from the fact that we share the same sense of strength and aesthetics.”
Future Design, Future Craft
“I wanted a name that expressed something like ‘different things coming together’,” said Kuramoto, and the finished basket was named “Mono.”
”It’s difficult to gather many things into one seamless and beautiful form. But the key point of the design was to create a form with a sense of unity like this. The name “Mono” means that a lot of things and people came together in this project, including materials and craftsmen.
Kuramoto continues,
“Although I knew this, it was a big realization for me to realize that we produce more scraps than I thought. If you make something large, such as furniture or harnesses, you will have a large surplus. If you want to make something with the surplus, the materials will also become larger. That is why I turned my attention to small items this time. As long as you can clear the size limitation, it is a very good and perfect material. I also felt again that the world is becoming more and more sustainable. CondeHouse is also putting a lot of effort into initiatives that include local craftsmen using trees that have been cut down from the local area and how to nurture the mountain, and even before this kind of movement, SOMES SADDLE was trying to use this large scrap for something and was keeping it instead of throwing it away. It is wonderful, isn’t it? I was hoping to express those ideas well this time.”
The presidents of both CondeHouse and SOMES SADDLE look back on this project, which began with the question of whether it could be realized, but went through a process of trial and error before ultimately completing without making any major changes to the design plan.
The two companies’ presidents, CondeHouse and SOMES SADDLE, both look back on the project and say, “In the past, we had not been able to make progress on what to do with items that were not used in our core business watershed, but now that the creators have joined us, we feel that we have made much more progress. Design management” is often cited as a method for corporate innovation, and one of the methods used is the combination of ”tradition and innovation. I think this project was exactly like that. I thought it was important to have a desire for new things,” said Someya, president of CondeHouse.
I have always been aware of this ever since I became president of the company, but there are certain aspects of the company that should not be changed and others that must be changed. I feel it is important to strike a balance between the two. In this context, through this project, I realized once again that we must constantly update our technology, including passing it on to the next generation,” said Someya, president of SOMES SADDLE.
Kuramoto also ponders the value of design and manufacturing in the future.
“The industry is working to create something from surplus materials and add value to it, but I still feel that it is a mission that designers of our generation should undertake. Since the industrial revolution, designers have worked to create new value and have matured, but I think it is more important now to “convey the richness of what can be done more modestly‘. For example, what would have been considered poor in the bubble era must now be conveyed in a beautiful way. It is not good to force people to do so, and it takes a bit of time and effort, but I think it is necessary for people to understand that this is a “pleasant” thing to do. I think what we need to do now is to create designs that will trigger that kind of awareness.
Through uncompromising challenges and the pursuit of beauty, the issues that had been faced were converted into high-quality materials and added to TOKYO CRAFT ROOM as more valuable products. Although it was a collaboration between the designers and the makers, their process and underlying thoughts have brought us various insights beyond the realm of design and craftsmanship. Another form of crafts was born from this event.
Jin Kuramoto
Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1976. After working as an in-house designer for a home appliance manufacturer, he opened “JIN KURAMOTO STUDIO” in Meguro, Tokyo in 2008.
He is involved in design development in a wide range of genres, from furniture, home appliances, eyewear to automobiles, with an approach that conveys the concept and story of the project through clear, sculptural expression. He places emphasis on a practical development process in which he repeatedly experiments with function and structure while touching materials and ingredients directly, and his own “studio”, where prototyping is carried out, is always full of inspiration and discoveries. He has received numerous awards, including the iF Design Award, Good Design Award, and Red Dot Design Award. He was a judge for the Good Design Award from 2015 to 2017.
CondeHouse
Since its establishment in 1968, this wooden furniture brand has been producing beautiful, long-lasting tools for daily life in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, one of Japan’s leading furniture production regions. Working with designers from Japan and abroad, the company is committed to uncompromising product development. The brand’s design and manufacturing techniques are based on the aesthetic sensibilities nurtured by the nature of Hokkaido and Japanese culture, and are being disseminated throughout Japan and the rest of the world.
SOMES SADDLE
SOMES SADDLE is an equestrian and leather goods manufacturer headquartered in Sunagawa City, Hokkaido, Japan, since its establishment in 1964, the company has continued to produce a variety of leather goods, including bags, small leather goods, and interior goods, with a focus on saddle making, which is said to be the ultimate in leather handling techniques. The company’s saddles for horse racing are favored by many JRA jockeys, and it also supplied horse-drawn carriages for the enthronement of the Japanese emperors in Heisei and Reiwa. The company has many loyal customers for its leather goods made by applying harness-making techniques, and it also focuses on after-sales care, such as repairs.
