Ikuo Maeda x Naoto Fukasawa x Takeshi Yamanaka
From Hiroshima to the world
Talking about the progress of Mazda and Maruni Woodworking

Hiroshima is said to be a place that produces many enterprising people. Hiroshima people say that Hiroshima is a place where people who like the challenge of trying new things and are willing to go out into the world can be cultivated. Companies that exist as if to confirm this are Mazda and Maruni Woodworking. Both brands were born in Hiroshima and are now flying around the world.

On October 10st, a talk session was held at Amana PORT in Shibaura, Tokyo, inviting Ikuo Maeda, who oversees Mazda's design and brand style, Takeshi Yamanaka of Maruni Woodworking, and designer Naoto Fukasawa. The evening was facilitated by Keisuke Dajiri, editor-in-chief of "H" and Yoshie Fujino, editor-in-chief of "Premium Japan", and the two companies and Naoto Fukasawa's design philosophy and passion for manufacturing were fully discussed. Based on the commonality of being a Hiroshima brand, they talked about their respective goals, and from there, the three men's aesthetic sense resonated with each other.

Under the design concept of "KODO: SOUL of MOTION" and the slogan "CAR as ART," Mazda pursues pure beauty. Maruni Woodworking has invited designer Naoto Fukasawa to serve as its art director and is taking on the challenge of creating furniture that will become a ``world standard.'' It is still fresh in my memory that thousands of ``HIROSHIMA'' armchairs, designed by Fukasawa, were delivered to Apple's new Apple Park building in Cupertino, California.

山 中 : Some time ago, Mr. Fukasawa came to our factory in Hiroshima, and the following was what I received in an email the following day. ``It's such a shame that even though we have excellent techniques for making wood furniture, applying a sticky coating at the end seems to kill the quality of the wood, so it's a shame.'' That was the moment when my technical ability was recognized. He told me, ``Let's create a world standard,'' and I remember feeling excited, even though I was half-convinced that we could do it. Mr. Fukasawa and I's current vision is to continue making wooden furniture that will be recognized as standard around the world even 100 years from now.

(I.e.:seatI felt that it was a monopod that made you forget its presence. Although it is a hard material, it does not give a hard impression and is beautiful. Creating a world classic is something Mazda also envisions. I realized once again that our goals are the same.

Mazda and Maruni Woodworking
Each Un-veil is
Coincidentally from Italy

There are three themes prepared for this talk session. Using these three themes as clues: "Un-veil," "Japaneseness," and "Crafts and Industry," Maeda, Yamanaka, and Fukasawa bring their thoughts, Mazda and Maruni Woodworking, from Hiroshima to the world. He talked a lot about the past and future of this soaring brand.

"Un-veil" means to unveil or to announce. How can you capture people's hearts at the moment of unveiling? The evaluation begins at the unveiling, which is filled with tension. In 2010, Mazda unveiled the concept car ``SHINARI'', a vision model of Kodo Design. Maruni Wood Industry unveiled “HIROSHIMA” to the world in 2009. Both were announced in Milan, Italy, which is considered a sacred place for design.

Since 2009, when "HIROSHIMA" was unveiled to the world, Marni Woodworking has continued to announce new products at the Milano Salone International Furniture Fair (Rho Fiera main venue). Since 2016, it has been introduced in Hall 16, where furniture manufacturers from all over the world dream of exhibiting, and this year, the "S.Project", which is made up of only the world's best brands planned and selected by the organizer, will feature Japanese companies. It was also in the spotlight for being the only one on display.

Fukasawa : For me, as a designer, unveiling is the feeling of bringing out an invisible form. Appearance is the state of things, and it is accompanied by everything from the surrounding atmosphere, atmosphere, and ambient. What I do as a designer is not to create a form, but to give a figure. It's also about creating the atmosphere around you, including the background.

Fukasawa : When a new car is unveiled, I think many people will physically feel whether it has attractive ``lines'' or not. I say that there is no failure in the design, but the question is whether or not the harmony is maintained.

(I.e. : There are cases where the design is intentional to create a sense of discomfort, but there are also cases where this happens due to a lack of maturity. That is our responsibility as professionals. What I'm currently trying to do is to thoroughly hone it, and remove elements and simplify them while eliminating any sense of incongruity. It is the aesthetics of subtraction. It is an accumulation of work to bring down the surroundings in order to highlight the aspects that we want to appeal to.

Fukasawa:carAlthough it may seem that both the chairs and chairs are a pursuit of functional beauty, in reality, they are carefully searching for shapes that will touch your heart and make you happy. Is each model completed? And if a person doesn't sit on something that makes a picture, the figure won't be created. It's interesting

to sharpen,
What does it mean to be described as “Japanese”?

``In an interview with Premium Japan's Mr. Maeda conducted at Mazda's headquarters in Hiroshima, he mentioned the word ``honesumasu'' many times, and he said that it was a very Japanese word,'' Fujino said. Furthermore, the furniture that Maruni Woodworking and Fukasawa work on is often described as Japanese-style overseas. What does it mean to be Japanese?

Fukasawa:vinegarIt is often said overseas that Japanese products are neat throughout. Japanese people probably have a kind of tacit awareness, not someone who taught them this. Speaking of Maruni Woodworking, they create a beautiful finish that leaves a slight texture without being overly polished, but how is this possible? Maybe this is what is so Japanese about it.

山 中 : At HIROSHIMA, we use straight-grained wood, and our craftsmen rely on their experience and intuition to select materials by predicting the appearance of the wood grain when it is shaved. Even without instructions, I was working on it. The word ``worthiness'' comes to mind, but I am trying my best. However, we do not have a desire to seek out Japanese-style items; we simply believe that there is a charm that resides in carefully crafted furniture.

(I.e.: DingIn terms of simplicity, an example of this is the expression of changing light in a car. In order to create beautiful reflections, we focus on three-dimensional changes and the precision of connections. When deciding on the shape of the car using a clay model, we purposely choose hard clay and continue to work with precision, with each carving of 0.3 mm. I think this is what makes Japanese manufacturing unique: the continuous search for a series of intricate shapes.

Harmonize with industrial products
craft sensibility

Japanese design and manufacturing have an aesthetic of ``harmony.'' Maruni Woodworking, whose motto is "industrialization of crafts," has improved quality and greatly improved its production system through continuous improvement of machinery and the accumulation of experience of each craftsman. In Maeda's words, ``Beauty has power. That's why we shouldn't end our exploration of form easily.''

(I.e.: DeI tell designers, modelers, and production engineers, ``I'm not looking for the right answer, so don't be afraid to make a mistake.'' The work is flavorful, with each hand feeling the way it is, enjoying the fuzzy side, and being careful not to organize it too logically. Replace it with a product. Although it is a difficult task, one example is adding hand finishing to the press mold based on data, and finishing the mold with the movement of the modeler's hands as he shaves the clay.

山 中 : At Maruni Woodworking, we make full use of 5-axis cutting, but in the end, each monopod is polished and completed by our craftsmen. Craftsmen say that their hands remember.

Fukasawa:ManIsn't the form that naturally emerges from the material a craft? Personally, I believe that there is actually no boundary between industrial products and crafts. I use both my hands and my PC. Above all, there are no limits to design; drawing a single line is not the end. That's why we can aim for and create something good. Isn't this the same reason why humans are humans?

Two companies in Hiroshima
by design
When aiming for the world

This talk session sold out soon after applications began, and many people in the audience listened intently on the day. Even after the event, he touched the HIROSHIMA chair placed on the stage, showing his high level of interest in design.

Mazda and Maruni Woodworking. What flows deep within each of them was discussed in this talk session. I was left with a strong impression of their vision of what lies ahead after accumulating the knowledge they gained through the process. And now, cars and furniture that embody their philosophy are touching the hearts of many people around the world.

Ikuo Maeda
Mazda Motor Corporation Managing Executive Officer in charge of design and brand style
Joined Toyo Kogyo (currently Mazda) in 1982. In 2009, he became the head of the design division. He launched the design concept "Kodo" and won many design awards. In 2016, he became Managing Executive Officer in charge of design and brand style. Holds an international C-class license. His book is ``Design will change Japan: Recovering the Japanese aesthetic sense'' (Kobunsha Shinsho).
MAZDA　https://www.mazda.co.jp/

Naoto Fukasawa
Product Designer/Art Director, Maruni Woodworking Co., Ltd.
Born in 1956. Established NAOTO FUKASAWA DESIGN in 2003. He has created many designs for international companies with his outstanding formative beauty and simple designs. He is an art director for Maruni Woodworking, a design advisory board member for Ryohin Keikaku, and also consults for many companies. He has received numerous awards, including being awarded the title of Royal Society of Arts. In 2018, he received the "Isamu Noguchi Award". He is a professor at Tama Art University. He is the director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum.
NAOTO FUKASAWA DESIGN　https://naotofukasawa.com/

Takeshi Yamanaka
Maruni Woodworking Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President
Born in 1970. After graduating from Keio University's Faculty of Economics, he completed an MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Graduate School of Business in 1995, and joined Mitsui Trust and Banking Corporation (currently Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Ltd.) in 1996. In 2001, he joined Maruni Co., Ltd. (currently Maruni Woodworking Co., Ltd.). He promotes initiatives with external designers. In 2008, he collaborated with product designer Naoto Fukasawa to release HIROSHIMA. In the same year, he became the president and representative director of Maruni Woodworking Co., Ltd.
maruni woodworking　https://www.maruni.com/jp/

MAZDA ~ Changing the world through design (Part 1)
MAZDA ~ Changing the world through design (Part 2)

Photography by Kiyoshi Obara (amanaphotography)
Text by Noriko Kawakami