Understand/Buy
Misaki Chest of Drawers was founded in 1865.The store has a long history as a sahimono master and lacquer shop, and was included in the oldest residential map of Takefu (now Echizen City), "Echizen Province Takefu Urban Area Map" (1875).The store (the old building) is registered as a "Fukui Prefecture-designated Fukui traditional private house" as befits its history.
Currently, the eighth generation is Toshiyuki Misaki.While many people feel burdened by history and tradition, Mr. Misaki asserts, "I am truly grateful to have a venerable history and to be able to pass on trust from the public and even customers passed down from generation to generation”. That is why we value communication in which we look our customers in the eye and talk to them.He has worked on various things in the past, but the style he finally arrived at is face-to-face sales in a store.We do not sell online but use our website as a means of sending out information to let people know about the store and to encourage them to visit us.Mr. Misaki still resides on the second floor of the store.The ground-floor storefront has a tatami room, which gives it the warmth of a home away from home.It is strange that when I put myself there, I feel relaxed to talk with them even though I am meeting them for the first time.
"I would like to make Echizen City a tourism-type market, where people can enjoy not only the buying of goods, but also the scenery and streets of Echizen City, the birthplace of Echizen tansu.It would be great if we could talk with them about the atmosphere and ambience of the actual site where the furniture is being made, and if they feel that they got a great product," he says with a smile.
Mr. Misaki, who also specializes in one-piece tables, purchases most of his materials from raw wood, which takes several years to commercialize, and then dries and corrects warping.Over time, the wood is made into good quality, and turns it into satisfactory furniture by listening to the customers. The origin of this technique is the "Echizen tansu" on display in the store.
"The Echizen tansu made by our ancestors, which have been handed down for 150 years, serve as a model.We are confident that our technology is second to none in the world.Tables and sofas are also made, but the legs are made using a tansu-making technique called hozogumi, which does not use nails.Even though what we make may change, we want to preserve traditional techniques," he says.
In this day and age, the flow is so fast that it is difficult to pander to the times.Then we know the old and respect the tradition, and face the customers and know the new.
Mr. Misaki feels firsthand that his favorite phrase, "learning from the past," will lead to the next era.
Text / Midori Tomohiro
