Newly launched brand “Shuji” by a director Shigeo Mashiro of Sfera released its first series, “Precious wood”.
We exhibited this beautiful rounded shape bucket, a fine combination of
Kouyamaki (sciadopitys verticillata, Japanese umbrella pine) and
Jindai-sugi (lignitised Japanese cedar, buried in the ground for longer than
2000 years) at MAISON&OBJET in January 2012 and 2013. Two trees are very
precious as its name suggests. We are developing this series as an art
object at the same time.

KI-OKE

 Shuji create his works using a various woodwork techniques especially
 Japanese traditional buckets (ki-oke) technique.His traditional wooden buckets (ki-oke) are made by arranging strips of woodinto a circle then binding them with a metal or bamboo strip on the outside. This technique is said to have been established in the Muromachi period in Japan, some 700 years ago. In the Edo period, virtually every household used this wooden bucket, in the bath, or in the kitchin for keeping rice or miso.
 Each family had many wooden buckets for various purposes. Although this item has been used for over 500 years, in contemporary times, it is rapidly disappearing. However, the techniques and embedded spirit for making this bucket still have value for today's lifestyle.
 Shuji aims to preserve continue this tradition and to further the beauty of wood and wooden buckets to incorporate them into modern life.