Region Hida Takayama in central Japan is famous for its large forests populated sugi, a variety of Japanese cedar. In the Nara period, this tree was widely used in the construction of temples, houses, canoes, we appreciated his qualities hygroscopic, fineness of grain and its pleasant smell. A whole Handcraft developed around these forests, making this region during Fieret the golden age of Japanese architecture.
After the Second World War devastated many parts of Japan were replanted with sugi, because this species grows easily and Quickly.
Unfortunately, with economic expansion, inflation of the yen and the Westernization of the building, the Japanese neglected their trees, preferring cheaper imported wood and harder. The deterioration of the management of forests, resulting from this disaffection, causing an imbalance of the ecosystem, the extinction of some species and others such as the proliferation sugi.
This neglect is currently a serious ecological problems such as landslides, avalanches, destruction of streams and increased allergies due to pollen of sugi ...
However many companies operating timber remained located in this region. One of the oldest and famous, Hida furniture company, founded in 1920, specializes in bending wood, a technique developed by Michael Thonet. Originally, the company works mainly beech and not sugi, whose wood is too soft and filled node is unsuitable for the manufacture of furniture.
In December 2000, when Sanzo Okada became director of Hida, he noted with astonishment that 90% of wood used in manufacturing is imported, while the forests around the reservoir is important. He therefore decided to find a solution to use the sugi sake.
He hopes to participate in safeguarding the environment while using a cheap raw material, as devalued. The economy is on the raw material will keep wages honorable craftsmen, whose skill and expertise are required in the transformation of sugi wood.
"It's easy to understand now that the ecology is also important for men than for the forest."
Enzo Mari.
To succeed in this endeavor, Osaka Sango is confrontré two obstacles: the return node in the tradition of the timber industry as a capital gain rather than as aesthetic defects, and secondly to make the wood sugi harder.
Convinced that can make the knot the appearance, by the uniqueness of his "drawing" natural, he exhibited in 2001 a first series of furniture called Voice of the Forest. This series invites contemplation and meditation, we are making this story of the life of wood. Like rocks in a rock garden, the nodes can take on a cosmic dimension and bring it to the inside of the house. The exhibition was a real success and shows that attitudes have changed: the Japanese, more environmentally conscious, are willing to adopt the sugi.
Bolstered by this success, it only remains to solve the problem of hardness. He developed a compression technique based on the control of the bending of the company and opens a whole field of new possibilities for exploitation of sugi wood.
Samples compressed wood
from left to right: an original plate, a plate compressed to 30% usable for the manufacture of furniture, 50% quality similar to that of beech, 70% wood quality is lost.
Wood can be bent and compressed into an infinite number of shapes in the same operation. We may also use a mold, form and compress the wood, while reducing cuts and increasing the design possibilities.
"Companies will not change as easily without the economic activity" Sango osaka
In 2003, Osaka Sanzo decides to appeal to Enzo Mari, Italian designer international reputation, to give substance to this technology in a set of furniture. Their collaboration began after a series of reading by Enzo Mari Takayama and organized by the Institute Oribe involved in economic revitalization of the region. Mr. Osaka was immediately captivated by the personality of Mari, and practitioner théoricen design, sensitive and connoisseur of art and traditional Japanese architecture.
Enzo Mari, this collaboration is an ethical position that has always imposed, namely priviligier quality and reflection of the project design rather than simple marketing logic.
"The form can not be the only factor that gives elegance to an industrial product. "
Enzo Mari
Although the scope of the designer is quite limited, it can still make choices of economic and ecological significance.
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