The truth lies in the details.

Beauty lives
in the details.

Before a single slab becomes a piece of furniture, it passes through countless acts of handwork the eye never sees. We dry the wood over many months, read its grain, judge its cracks and warps, and polish it again and again. Each of these quiet layers gives the piece the warmth of the touch and a character that only deepens with use. Here we introduce the care MAKOTO devotes to the finest details.

MATERIAL

Fine Timber — stories of a hundred years

Which trees do we choose, and why?
MAKOTO welcomes fine trees that have lived a hundred years — including those with hollows and cracks.
For it is in what people call flaws that the time a tree has lived is inscribed.

  • Zelkova slab and grain

    欅 ケヤキ / Zelkova

    Main regions
    Mountain regions across Japan, chiefly Honshu.
    Character
    Boldly undulating grain with a deep, reddish luster. Hard and highly stable, long used even for the pillars of temples and shrines — a definitive Japanese fine timber.
    In furniture
    Deepens to a rich amber with use, carrying the presence of a true centerpiece.
  • Japanese Horse Chestnut slab and grain

    栃 トチノキ / Japanese Horse Chestnut

    Main regions
    Mountain valleys of Honshu, in moist land along streams.
    Character
    Silky, rippling figure on a soft, pale milky ground. A delicate shimmer that shifts with the angle of the light.
    In furniture
    One of the woods that resonates most with the clarity of resin; the individuality of each figure stands out.
  • Camphor Tree slab and grain

    樟 クスノキ / Camphor Tree

    Main regions
    Warm regions of western Japan, such as Kyushu and Shikoku.
    Character
    Complex, swirling figure and the clean scent of camphor. Many grow to great girth, blessing this species with wide single slabs.
    In furniture
    A slab to live with, together with its faint fragrance — naturally resistant to insects as well.
  • Japanese Chestnut slab and grain

    栗 クリ / Japanese Chestnut

    Main regions
    From southern Hokkaido through the mountains of Honshu.
    Character
    Clear, straight-running grain and abundant tannins. So resistant to moisture it has long served as the foundation timber of houses.
    In furniture
    Ages into a deep brown; its rustic, robust scenery takes root at the table.
  • Japanese Ash slab and grain

    梻 タモ / Japanese Ash

    Main regions
    Cool regions of Hokkaido and northern Honshu.
    Character
    Straight, refined grain on a calm, pale yellowish ground. Strong and resilient — the same wood used for baseball bats.
    In furniture
    Never insistent, it settles quietly into any space, and finishes beautifully down to the finest detail.
Close-up of intricate old-growth wood grain

GRAIN

Grain — an expression like no other

Even within one species, no two expressions are alike.
The swirl of the figure, the shading of color, the carving of the rings — all of it is a record belonging to that tree alone.
The color deepens with the years, and the expression grows richer with use.

PROCESS

Process — until a single top is complete

01 Log Selection

A single tabletop begins in the mountains. Cracks at the log ends, the way the figure emerges, the position of hollows — reading the finished landscape from a log before milling is the work of a trained eye. MAKOTO selects only trees whose flaws can live as part of the piece.

Log Selection

02 Drying

Wood goes on breathing after it is felled. Combining natural and kiln drying, watching the moisture content, we draw the water out slowly over many months. A slab that will not warp rests on this invisible stage.

Drying

03 Resin Casting

Transparent resin slowly fills the hollows and cracks. Bubbles are drawn out one by one; temperature and curing are minutely controlled — a process spanning several days. The time the tree has lived is sealed within the clarity.

Resin Casting

04 Polishing & Finishing

From coarse grits to fine, polishing over and over until the surface draws the palm in. At the end, a single gilded brand — the quiet mark that this is the only one in the world.

Polishing & Finishing

05 Final Inspection

Warp, luster, the clarity of the resin — everything is examined, and only the slab that passes leaves the workshop. That piece is then given its own serial number: certain proof that it is one of a kind in the world.

Final Inspection

A single fine tree, and four crafts.
The piece born of their meeting is one of one —
found nowhere else in the world.
For the piece made for your space,
we walk beside you from the very beginning.

One of one,
for you.

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