Week Two- Japan and Japanisme

 

Week One- Arts and Crafts

Chapter 18

Summary:

Japanese design was profoundly influenced by China, but distinctly different in nature

• Instead of Chinese formality and axiality, the Japanese preferred impromptu and off-centeredness.
• The Chinese were dedicated to age, lineage, and permanence, while the Japanese enjoyed serendipity and change.
• China prized perfection, while the Japanese treasured variation and even imperfection.

Japanese design clearly portrays plainness, naturalness, and attention to minute detail. This detail can be observed in other aspects of Japanese life such as tea preparation, flowers or stones in a garden, or the writing of characters.

Japanese geography strongly influenced design. Japan is a group of islands of the east coast of Asia. These islands are mountainous and many of the mountains are volcanic. Few places in Japan lack a view of these mountains or the sea. Frequent earthquakes encourage building in wood or bamboo which is plentiful in Japan. Wooden structures are safer than masonry ones.

Interior areas among the modular bays and around the columns that demarcate them are divided up freely.

The special divisions are made by fusuma or movable screens or panels that run on tracks. These screens are made of paper, silk or decoratively painted.

The size and shape of the room was based on tatami floor mat. This mat was traditionally made of rice straw or in current times, vinyl flooring. Each mat is 2” thick and about 3 by 6 feet. Shoes are not worn in the interior of the home.

Hierarchy in a room is created by elevating sections of the floor.

In traditional Japanese interiors the center of gravity is low to the ground and the emphasis is on the floor.

Furniture were movable and flexible. One room can serve various purposes with a quick change of furniture.

The most popular woods for furniture were: magnolia, paulownia, zelkova, white mulberry and chestnut.

Historically, chairs were not used often in a Japanese interior. Several types of cushions were used instead. The enza or round cushion was made of rice straw, rush or other grasses. It was 20” in diameter and used in homes, temples and shrines.

More popular now is a square padded cushion called a zabuton. This is covered in cotton, silk, linen, or leather and often embellished with sashiko a decorative stitching, in geometric patterns.

 

Traditional Screens 

Modern Screens

Traditional Mats

Modern Mats

 Traditional Floor cushions

Modern Floor Cushions

Japanese Furniture is going through the same thing that all furniture is going through. People want simpler and minimalist furniture. So things like beautiful privacy panels don't have a design on them anymore, they are simple and plain, still beautiful but simpler.

One step Further:

Gorge Nakashima Woodworkers

George Nakashima Woodworkers is a woodworking shop and studio that was founded by George Nakashima (1905-1990). Nakashima was an American woodworker, architect, and furniture maker who was a leader in 20th-century furniture design. His daughter, Mira Nakashima, now runs the studio. 

What they do:

Make furniture, cabinets, and other wood products

Use a natural, "live edge" aesthetic that highlights the wood's grain and color 

Use a low-sheen oil finish to preserve the wood's natural beauty 

Use butterfly joints, which became known as the "Nakashima joint" 

What they're known for:

Being a leader of the American craft movement 

Being a pioneer of the "through-and-through" cutting method, which preserves the wood's natural form 

Being influenced by Japanese designs, modernist European approaches, and nature's imperfections 

“Each tree not only has a different size and shape, but color and character, and each board from each tree has a distinctly different personality.”

— Mira Nakashima

Some of their work: