Yokohama Furniture is a craft that emerged in the wake of the opening of the port of Yokohama at the end of the Edo period, and is regarded as the birthplace of Western-style furniture-making in Japan. According to tradition, it began around 1863, when Goldman, an Englishman residing in Yokohama, asked a local harness-maker, Hara Yasuzō, to repair a chair. Impressed with the quality of the repair, Goldman then commissioned furniture in the same style made back home, prompting local woodworkers to study the structure and design of Western furniture and develop it in their own way. Its distinguishing techniques combine traditional Japanese woodworking with Western furniture styles: precise wood-joinery that uses almost no nails, and shaping of graceful curved surfaces with a specially curved-blade plane. In the Meiji era, Yokohama Furniture won international acclaim, even being exhibited at the Paris World's Fair, but the number of makers declined after the Great Kanto Earthquake and wartime destruction, and today only a handful of workshops and companies carry on the technique.
Origin
Yokohama Furniture is said to have begun around 1863. According to tradition, Goldman, an Englishman who settled in Yokohama after the opening of the port, asked a local harness-maker, Hara Yasuzō, to repair a chair he had brought to Japan. Impressed with the result, Goldman ordered furniture made in the same style as that produced back in Britain, and furniture-making for foreign residents began in earnest in Yokohama. Craftsmen then known as 'banko-ya' (ばんこ屋) learned the structure of Western furniture through repair work and developed their own methods of production.
History
From the early Meiji era through the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, furniture decorated with wood carving in an Eastern-inspired style was actively exported from Yokohama and won international recognition, including exhibition at the Paris World's Fair. However, many workshops were damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake and wartime destruction, and changes in postwar lifestyles combined with the spread of mass-produced furniture led to a gradual decline in the number of craftsmen. Even so, furniture makers and workshops carrying on the technique remain in Yokohama, and today they continue to pass on their traditional craftsmanship and design under the brand name 'Yokohama Classic Furniture' (横浜クラシック家具).
Features
The greatest characteristic of Yokohama Furniture is its wood-joinery technique, in which parts are precisely worked and fitted together with almost no nails. Another distinctive feature is that, while ordinary Western furniture is finished with sanding to shape curved surfaces, Yokohama Furniture uses a special plane with a curved blade to carve the curves directly. Because production relies on hand work by skilled craftsmen rather than machine mass production, output is limited, but the furniture gains a durability that allows it to be used across generations. Its original designs, blending Japanese and Western aesthetics, have also been highly praised.
Techniques
Wood Joinery (Kigumi)
A traditional joining technique in which parts are precisely worked and fitted together with almost no nails. It produces sturdy furniture that can be used for a long time.
Curved-Blade Plane Finishing
A finishing technique unique to Yokohama Furniture, using a special plane with a curved blade to carve curved surfaces directly, rather than sanding them smooth.
Artisans & Workshops
横浜家具ダニエル（株式会社ダニエル）
A furniture maker founded in 1973 that carries on the tradition of 'Yokohama, the birthplace of Western furniture.' Its main Motomachi store champions the Yokohama Classic Furniture brand and features a famous large red chair that has stood at the storefront for more than 40 years.
Official site →蓮華草元町工房
A workshop with a showroom in Yokohama's Yamate district that carries on the traditional techniques of Yokohama Furniture while making and restoring custom furniture from solid wood.
Official site →How to Buy
- 横浜家具ダニエル元町本店
- The directly run store of Yokohama Classic Furniture, located in Motomachi, Yokohama. Alongside original furniture carrying on the traditional techniques, it also stocks a wide range of Western furniture, including imported pieces.Where to buy →PR
FAQ
Q. When did Yokohama Furniture begin?
A. It is said to have begun around 1863, when Goldman, an Englishman living in Yokohama, asked a local harness-maker, Hara Yasuzō, to repair a chair.
Q. Where can I see Yokohama Furniture today?
A. You can see furniture carrying on the traditional techniques at 横浜家具ダニエル元町本店 in Motomachi, Yokohama, and 蓮華草元町工房 in Yokohama's Yamate district.