Japanese furniture & art fit well in the Pacific Northwest
by Bruce Rutledge

Clean lines, craftsmanship and a reverence for natural materials. That description of the guiding aesthetic behind Japanese architecture and carpentry could just as easily be used to describe the Northwest style of architecture, with its love of exposed wooden beams and warm interiors to offset the grey outside. Perhaps that’s why this region is home to so many people inspired by the Japanese aesthetic, from antique dealers to woodworkers to gallery owners. It’s a natural fit.
Japanese carpentry also taps into our 21st Century desire for simplicity, environmental responsibility and things made with care and attention. As we lose interest in McMansions, we start to riff through pages of Dwell and other magazines hawking a cleaner, simpler way of life (or at least we did before our 401Ks went south). These magazines embrace an aesthetic closer to the Japanese penchant for a small, well-tended living space. And yet the pieces of Japanese furniture you may see at an antique shop or gallery — the heavy tansu chest of drawers, elegant wooden chairs and low-lying tables — are connected to a tradition that goes back more than one thousand years.
Dale Brotherton, owner and founder of traditional Japanese design/build firm Takumi Co. of Seattle, has been studying this style of woodworking for decades. “Japanese carpentry is an evolved approach to creating wooden structures,” the San Francisco native writes in an email. “Its roots are lost in antiquity. We do know that the methods and tools first reached Japan in the 9th Century in connection with Buddhist temple architecture. Japanese craftsmen quickly began to adapt and refine this building system, applying it to all structural forms, from temples to shops to residences.
“Over time, as tastes changed, various uniquely Japanese architectural forms sprang forth,” he continues. “Most notably, in the 16th Century the chashitsu (teahouse) and its related sukiya residential styles. The emphasis in design moved from heavy ornate to simple, clean straight lines and light, elegant proportions.”
Those architectural forms influenced not only the residences the Japanese lived in, but the furniture they had in those residences. Tatami-mat rooms are used in various ways throughout the day, for example, so the furniture tends to be lightweight and small.
“The craft and techniques used in making Japanese furniture are mostly derived from the carpentry tradition,” Brotherton explains. “Traditional lacquer is often applied to tables and tansu but always with an eye for enhancing the natural beauty of the materials. Because of the care and methods used, these objects age gracefully, radiating a timeless beauty such that they easily serve as accents in even the most modern format.”

Photo by Charles Bickford
Dale Brotherton’s Takumi Co. brings the clean lines and simple aesthetic of Japanese carpentry to homes in the Pacific Northwest.

At Ming’s Asian Gallery in Seattle’s International District and on Main Street in Bellevue, one can see firsthand just how gracefully the tansu and tables age. One can also browse through ancient screens, carvings, paintings and much more. The store’s Japanese items, displayed together in the Zen Collection, could fit in the home of the most discerning modernist. “Aesthetically, Japanese furniture is so clean, it can go into an Arts and Crafts home,” says proprietor Jim Russell, who owns the store with his wife Doreen. “They fit well with oak. It’s not restricted. And then what’s nice too is that a tansu can go in a bedroom or a living room.”
In the Pacific Northwest, craftspeople — many of them promoted by the Kobo @ Higo gallery in Seattle’s International District — have melded Japanese and sustainable design to come up with decidedly modern alternatives that respect the centuries-old traditions. Go Green Design of Ballard, for one, uses reclaimed wood and bamboo to make its small tansu and other furniture. “Every piece has a story,” says Kobo co-owner John Bisbee. “We try to learn that story.”

Ming’s Asian Gallery boasts an impressive collection of antique tansu as well as modern riffs on the classical chest of drawers, such as the stacking tansu (right) that can be rearranged into different shapes and has drawers that open on either side. Below photos by Doug Sims.

SPECIAL FEATURE: Bringing Japan Home

Bringing Japan Home Add a touch of Japan to your interior this winter. The Pacific Northwest has a rich array of Japanese furniture and art to choose from..	Japanese furniture & art fit well in the Pacific Northwest Clean lines, craftsmanship and a reverence for natural materials. That description of the guiding aesthetic behind Japanese architecture..	Japanese Art on the Wall Seattle is home to several vibrant galleries that specialize in Japanese woodblock prints, contemporary Japanese art and hand-colored photos..