Giving shape to the best work I can do [Rengeso Motomachi Kobo]

Manufacturing
Creating things
Craftsman's Landscape

This issue's site
[Profession] Furniture craftsman
[Craftsman name] Katsuhito Uchida, Rengekusa Motomachi Studio
[Location] Shin-Yamashita, Yokohama

Carefully, slowly, and with thought.
A section introducing manufacturing sites that make use of handcrafted techniques.
This time, it is said that it can be used by three generations of parents and children.
Yokohama Furniture. Over 150 years have passed since the opening of the port of Yokohama.
We continue to inherit our techniques and culture and manufacture custom-made furniture.
We went to Rengeso Motomachi Kobo, a furniture repair shop.

With the opening of the port of Yokohama, the history of "Yokohama furniture" began with the repair of Western furniture brought over from overseas. Japan's woodworking techniques, which have nurtured the culture of wood since ancient times, gained a reputation, and soon Japanese people began making full-scale Western furniture. The only workshop that inherits the history of Yokohama furniture, "Rengeso Motomachi Workshop," is lined with high-quality solid wood. The reason for being particular about materials is "quality, not quantity. By interacting with high-grade wood, we believe that our craftsmanship will improve and we can provide furniture in the best condition," says Uchida. He also says, "We craftsmen are not artists, but our job is to provide the technology to materialize the customer's thoughts." Even today, masterpieces that make people smile are being produced here with the best work.

Located in the warehouse district of Shin-Yamashita, close to Yokohama Port and above the Metropolitan Expressway Kariba Line, is Rengeso Motomachi Koubou. The company was founded in 2001. We visited furniture craftsman Katsuhito Uchida, who has an unusual career as a fashion designer.

In the spacious, high-ceilinged workshop, natural solid wood is lined up everywhere. As soon as you step inside, you are greeted by a cool breeze and the overwhelming scent of wood tickles your nose.

It was 10:00 a.m., and at the Rengeso Motomachi Workshop, craftsmen were already working on the wood.

First, I asked Uchida about Yokohama Furniture.

Let's go back more than 150 years to when the port of Yokohama was opened to the public. Western furniture came all the way across the ocean to Yokohama along with many Westerners. It seems that Yokohama furniture started with repairing the Western furniture that Westerners had brought to Yokohama for use. Westerners were amazed at how well Japanese craftsmen repaired furniture, far better than they had imagined. It was far superior in terms of precision, speed, and cost to furniture from their home countries. Gradually, the skills of Japanese craftsmen gained a reputation, and they began to go beyond repairs and even make furniture themselves.

So what is "Yokohama furniture"? "To be honest, there is not much difference between Yokohama furniture and other Western furniture. Later, furniture made to suit Japanese specifications began to be made in various parts of Japan, but here in Yokohama, there was no need to change the way it was made. It was an environment where there was no need to evolve it to suit Japanese specifications. This is because many foreigners lived in the Yamate area. It was also furniture that they would use."

"It sounds bad to say that there was no evolution, but it just goes to show that the best style for making furniture was firmly established. If I had to answer the question, 'What is Yokohama furniture?' I would say that it is 'Yokohama furniture.' Of course, the techniques have been passed down, but at Rengeso Motomachi Studio we have evolved to make furniture that suits the lifestyles of modern people (laughs)."

That's what Uchida said. As mentioned above, his unusual career story is also interesting. Since childhood, he was interested in design, architecture, and interior design, and loved making things. As he also liked clothes, he dreamed of "presenting his work at Paris Fashion Week!" and became a fashion designer for a major apparel manufacturer. However, after a few years, he began to question the division of labor system that is unique to large companies, and quit his job. While he was watching TV at home during a leave of absence, he saw a furniture maker silently turning a plane under a bare light bulb, and he thought, "This is it!" He decided to "change the material from cloth to wood and express myself." He immediately went to a vocational training school to learn about furniture making, and got a job at a furniture store in Motomachi, Yokohama. The craftsman working under the bare light bulb that made Uchida decide to become a furniture maker was in the workshop of that furniture store. "Wow! I was so excited to see the craftsman I saw on TV right in front of me. He was the ace, the fourth batter, among the craftsmen. So naturally, he got good materials and good work. I remember feeling envious of that, and while I was silently cutting wood (cutting logs or large pieces of wood into lumber of the required dimensions and quality), I strongly felt that I wanted to be like him someday. At the site at that time, there was no one to teach me how to make furniture, so all I did was watch and learn from my seniors."

"My master had a warehouse. There were many finished items stored there. I even used a crowbar to break some finished furniture pieces to see how they were made (laughs)."

After gaining more than a decade of experience, he established the Rengeso Motomachi Workshop. "I decided to set up this workshop because I didn't want to let the flame of Yokohama furniture die out, and also to train young craftsmen. I wanted to inherit and revive the techniques of Yokohama furniture that have been passed down for over 150 years...and I also wanted to be a source of fertilizer for young craftsmen...With these thoughts in mind, I chose the name of my workshop after the flower that fertilizes the fields, Rengeso."

When asked what Uchida focuses on when making and repairing furniture, he immediately replied, "The customer comes first. I always try to express my own taste within the framework that the customer has decided on. A craftsman is not an artist. It is about accurately grasping the customer's request and responding to it with all our might. I believe that we are here to provide the technology to materialize the request. I just try to do the best job I can... that's all there is to it!"

This is a TV stand that is waiting to be delivered to a customer. It was made by Uchida. While focusing on a simple design that expresses the beauty of the soft grain, clean lines, and solid wood, he added a playful touch with inlay and glasswork.

This is a stool in the making, named "Posture." It is a rocking chair made for long hours of desk work. This chair was created in response to complaints from staff working at the workshop desks that their shoulders and backs hurt.

This is a cushion chair with graceful lines, one of Yokohama Furniture's signature features. If you lean your body timidly against the ultra-thin backrest, you'll find that it flexes comfortably, carefully designed to reduce strain on your lower back.

Finally, we asked Uchida about his dreams for the future. "I want to create furniture without borders. Free furniture that is not bound by categories such as Western furniture or Japanese furniture, and is created with the sole thought of making customers happy. From the port of Yokohama to overseas. 'Yokohama furniture' has its roots in furniture that was imported across the sea over 150 years ago, and now it will become furniture that crosses the sea and blends seamlessly into the lives of people in foreign lands... It would be fantastic if we could become something like that."