Thursday, August 27, 2009



Some work from awhile back......
Wa-tansu made from Cherry and Kiri Wood, ordered by a brother and sister living near Shinjuku, in Tokyo.  The Kiri tree grew in their garden, and was planted by their mother.  It had become weak, and was unsteady on it's roots.  I brought the tree back to my location in Nagano, and had it sawn, then dried the wood.  Kiri dries quickly, and is unusual, in that the wood needs to be exposed to the rain while losing internal moisture, in order to develop good color.   It turned out to be excellent Kiri wood!   After first cutting the tree, it took about one year before I was able to complete the chest.
It was an interesting project for me, and when I delivered the tansu, my customer's mother wept.