HOME Recommended Shop Techniques and Mind Joinery ・ Kumiko Okawa release date April 01, 2011 Okawa boasts the highest production of fittings in Japan. Okawa woodworking, which started as a carpenter on a ship about 460 years ago, has been developed along with the division of labor of the woodworking industry such as carpenters and furniture craftsmen. Traditional techniques have been handed down from time to time, and we manufacture shoji screens, doors, shutters, closet doors, etc. that are designed to match the current interior. "Kumiko" is one of the fitting techniques made by assembling wood to wood without using nails. Grooves, holes, and hozos are applied to the finely chopped wood, and each piece is assembled while adjusting with a plane, saw, chisel, etc. "Okawa Kumiko" was crafted using this technique. While joinery craftsmen competed for their skills, it was born naturally as a decoration for joinery. There are more than 200 types of design patterns, including "hemp leaf," "sesame shell," and "yae-zakura," and craftsmen are still applying these to create new designs on their own. In 1988, it was designated as a specialty craft of Fukuoka Prefecture as a technology that we want to preserve in the future. Create a small piece of wood with a single plane. The photo shows a flower plane that makes a hemp leaf pattern, which is said to be a lucky charm. When you hold the leaf over the light as shown in the photo, there is a thin part that can be seen through. Its thinness is 0.01 mm. Fold this part so that it will not be torn off and make various patterns. Various leaves. These small leaves are joined together to form a graceful Okawa Kumiko. Kumiko Okawa whose expression changes like a kaleidoscope depending on the viewing direction and light. Multiple designs are incorporated in one work. The design is made up of pieces of wood called "leaves". Craftsmen use various planes to make small leaves that are less than fingertips. The leaves are so thin that they are likely to break if touched, and are 0.01 mm. These leaves are fitted one by one into the space of the wooden frame called "jigumi" so that there are no gaps in a piece of paper to create a pattern. In recent years, he has released various works other than fitting decoration such as interior accessories such as lighting that focuses on the beauty of shadows created by Kumiko. Okawa's interior brand "SAJICA", which transcends the boundaries of industry and brings together traditional techniques, has created modern mirrors and tables that incorporate kumiko into their designs. In addition, in order to let more people know about Okawa Kumiko, we are holding a tour where you can experience making Kumiko at an event, which is popular with domestic and foreign tourists. Okawa Kumiko Shoji. The design with attention to detail makes me sigh. A graceful fan-shaped tsuitate. By the time the gorgeous work is completed, it has been created based on the craftsmanship and detailed calculations learned from experience. SAJICA brand Kumiko table. It has been well received at exhibitions around the world. Introduction of Okawa Kumiko and joinery craftsmen Kinoshita joinery Kinoshita joinery works on creating works with new designs that match modern life while inheriting tradition. The joinery shop that the president, Kumato Kinoshita, was fascinated by the world of Okawa joinery and built in his lifetime is now his son ... Nitahara Joinery Mfg. Co., Ltd. "I want to do a job that is close to the hearts of our customers." Nitahara Joinery Mfg. Co., Ltd. has inherited this feeling from the first Susumu Nitahara for three generations. The work is so sighing that I can see it. Brush …… Miyazaki joinery During the Edo period, many travelers came and went as the Higo Highway, and the Kobo / Enozu district was the border between the former Kurume Domain and the former Yanagawa Domain. Miyazaki Joinery, located in Kobo, where the former Yanagawa domain's post town was located, is a joinery store that has been making for three generations. ...... Okawa Tourism Association 〒831-8601 256-1, Sakemi, Okawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture ( inside the Interior Division, Okawa City) TEL: 0944-87-2101 FAX: 0944-88-1776 Okawa Tourist Information Center 〒831-0004 Okawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture Enokizu 325-32 Villa Verdi 1F TEL / FAX: 0944-87-0923 Regular holiday: Monday (If Monday is a national holiday, the next day) Copyright © 2021 Okawa Tourism Association. All Rights Reserved.