[Hyogo] From the Life of Trees to Form — George Nakashima and the Craftspeople
The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe hosts an exhibition on George Nakashima's furniture and the artisans who craft it.Summary
The Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, is hosting "From the Life of Trees to Form — George Nakashima and the Craftspeople" from October 3 to December 13, 2026. The exhibition focuses on furniture designer and woodworker George Nakashima (1905–1990), who pursued furniture that honors each tree's unique shape and character, embracing knots, cracks, and grain variations to create works with a presence distinct from both industrial products and traditional crafts, rooted in a deep reverence for materials. The exhibition spotlights Sakura Seisakusho in Kagawa Prefecture, the only workshop in Japan that has been producing Nakashima's furniture for over 60 years, highlighting the honest craftsmanship of artisans who carefully select each tree and guide it into form—a practice set apart from mass production and imitation. The exhibition aims to inspire visitors to reconsider the richness of using and passing on objects over time. Related events include a lecture featuring Living National Treasure woodworker Kenji Suda and Sakura Seisakusho president, as well as hands-on workshops using Sakura Seisakusho offcuts and leather-upholstered stool-making sessions.
(Source：artscape)