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The scents of wood

Two projects by Kengo Kuma and Jasper Morrison with Wataru Kumano for the forest conservation project founded by Ryuichi Sakamoto, dedicated to Japanese woods.

by Nanban

In 2007 renowned Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, along with five co-founders etablished More Trees, a forest conservation organization with an idea in mind: reconnecting cities and forest and enhancing and building new forests in the process, thus taking a stance against deforestation and global warming.

Today, more that thirteen new forests are growing in Japan alone and the project is expanding overseas to develop more forests around the world.

More Trees plans and organizes various programs following this goal and has called upon several artists, designers and creatives to participate.

Sharing More Trees’ spirit and commitment, Nanban is bringing to Europe a selection of the products that have been developed together with renowned architect Kengo Kuma and the equally acclaimed designers Jasper Morrison and Wataru Kumano.


Kengo Kuma’s Tsumiki (つみき, which literally means building blocks in Japanese) are triangle-shaped wooden blocks made of pleasantly scented cedar wood harvested in Miyazaki prefecture, which can be used by children and adults as well to play and create shapes, figures and ever-changing wooden sculptures, which can not just fuel imagination but also decorate the house beautifully.

"Tsumiki played a big role in my life, which affected my career as an architect - Kengo Kuma"


Jasper Morrison and Wataru Kumano’s stool is - in their own words "all about distance. Human, product, and space would naturally connect with pleasant distance by the friendly shape and pure hinoki material".
Each of them is hand-made by local artisans with sustainably harvested hinoki wood from Higashi-Shirakawa in Gifu, a durable and scented wood traditionally used in the construction of Japanese temples.
Its design exemplifies Jasper Morrison "Super Normal" design approach, just adding a Japanese touch, and, in order to reduce its carbon footprint, it is supplied as an easy self-assembly kit.

Both projects encompass a wide range of values, from the typically Japanese attention to the smallest detail, to the care a precision put by Japanese craftsmen, to the love of nature that that each Japanese treasures.

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