

We designed the new shop of long-established knife store, Nihonbashi KIYA. The shop sells Japanese tools such as knives and scissors by craftsmen, not industrial products. We created a space to show tools carefully one by one, which are made from natural materials by the magical technique of craftsmen.
We made a state that wood of 200 years old which is about the same age as the shop is floating in the air. Solid wood with a length of 4.5m and a thickness of 120mm is supported by only two points at both ends. By using wood as a structure as well as finishing, it will be a “real” construction.
This shop will clean up the old cutting board by Canna, a tool for shaving wood made of iron. In the same way, if this solid wood also gets dirty or scratched, it is rephrased with Canna. At that time, a new wooden skin appears again, and the scent of fresh trees flows out in the space.
We created the space by not a “table”as an artificial product, but a “material”as part of nature. In this space, you can feel the spirit of manufacturing in Japan, affection for making things.
Designed by Motosuke Mandai / Mandai Architects
Photography by Yasuhiro Takagi



