Futon
Cottons of different hardness, layered. Springy enough not to give way under weight, gentle enough to settle into. Made to be used for a lifetime.
Crafting the Silence of Sleep
Cotton, and the time it takes to give it a shape by hand.
Cotton, and silk floss. Chosen for fibre length and thickness.
The family began with cotton crafting.
Later it began selling futons. What ran the whole length of that work — from raw cotton through to a finished futon — is the part that survived, and it is the part still in use here.
The blending ratio came down from the cotton-crafting years. It belongs to no one else, and it is still the thing we are most particular about.
Every futon begins with raw cotton.
The cotton is layered carefully to create elasticity and breathability.
The final form is shaped by hand and secured with precise stitching.
This process has remained unchanged for generations.
Made for the way people live now.
ZEN Zabuton
The same technique at a smaller scale. Several times the finished volume of cotton is stretched, reinforced and shaped by hand.
KYO-SOKU
Buckwheat husk wrapped in cotton wadding — solid, then soft. An armrest or a backrest, on the floor or on a sofa, whichever way you happen to sit.
Working alongside people who want the same things opens rooms you could not have found alone.
- London Craft Week
- Japan House London
- Demonstrations and workshops
- Designers, fellow craftspeople and cultural institutions
Made to be handed on.
- The material can be used again.
- A futon can pass from a parent to a child.
- And the knowledge can pass to whoever comes next.
The work has been recognised: a win at the National Skills Grand Prix, designation as a Contemporary Master Craftsman, the Medal with Yellow Ribbon, and certification as a First-Class Bedding Manufacturing Technician.
技能グランプリ ／ 現代の名工 ／ 黄綬褒章 ／ 一級技能士