Time Capsule
Above: Shinobu Kobayashi’s Iki gateleg table in American white ash and walnut with bamboo cane detailing, 1200 x 800 x 760mm. The table can function as a side, hall or dining table.
Words and photos: Shinobu Kobayashi
The concept for this piece came from childhood memories of hide-and-seek games – crouching behind a door, inside a wardrobe, under a table... Somehow it made me calm when close to things made from wood, but I became addicted to seeing their details and construction from the inside.
It made me question how and why things were made the way they were. At age five, I was too young to learn the answer, but 30 years later I still enjoy looking inside drawers and underneath chair frames and tables. Most people might not care, however for me those parts show the personality and craftsmanship of their maker.
When I was studying furniture making in Sweden at Capellagården I found a faded sketch of Carl Malmsten’s 1947 design in the basement of the building. I tried to redesign it and blend in traditional Japanese joinery, weaving and dyeing techniques. Traditional materials such as steamed rice glue and bamboo cane would also be used.
The Iki table is made from part of a large board of crown-cut white ash that was over three metres long, 500mm wide and 50mm thick. Walnut was used for the smaller details.
The centre of the top and pedestal base were made from the crown-cut section however the fold-down sides of the top needed to be made from quartersawn timber to ensure flatness and minimise wood movement. To this end, vertical sections were sawn from the board and kept in order when glued up.
Using the open grain crown-cut timber along with the tighter grain quartersawn sections shows not only the beauty of the natural wood grain, but also creates a different impression when the table is open or closed.
Many details were shaped and joined by hand. The brass hinges were shopmade and the bamboo cane was dyed with kakishibu (Japanese persimmon extract) before I wove it onto the handle and into the pedestal supports.
Shellac was first applied to preserve the light colour of the wood before using Swedish coldpressed linseed oil to give a very light lemon tint before finishing with beeswax.
One example of how Japanese traditional woodworking differs from the Western approach is the use of ari-tsugi dovetails. The table has 30 handcut dovetails however many cannot be seen. Some might ask ‘why’, or think ‘that’s a waste of time’ – but for me, they are a hidden message to future craftspeople. Iki means ‘Japanese hidden beauty’ or ‘Japanese hidden craftsmanship’ – the kind you may later discover.
My master in Japan said that furniture doesn’t always need to show all of the maker’s skills on the surface. He also said that furniture should last for three generations and may need restoring or repairing at some stage. If someone then finds my ‘hidden’ work I will be happy with that...it’s just like a time capsule from me to the next generation.
Shinobu Kobayashi is a furniture designer maker who lives and works in Melbourne. Email shinobunny.com@gmail.com, Instagram @shino_bunny