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japanese traditional patterns coloring book!

From the beginning of this year I have had the privilege to associate with Jogan Yoshio, kimono designer in Kyoto. I visited his atelier, had the chance to attend some events with him and we are also starting to collaborate on some projects (such as the one in Wakayama) .

He is really the quintessential Japanese artist/craftsman: soft spoken, passionate and humble. His right arm is the charming Hiroyo, with feline eyes riding high heels and sports cars: it feels like she could have just come out from a 007 movie or a Lupin III cartoon. The matching and the positive contrast of different elements is somehow a trademark of Jogan sensei.

He practiced since his childhood in the ateliers and along the water streams of Nishijin, the area where Kimonos are woven, dyed, block-printed, painted and embroidered with the collaborative work of dozens of separate companies. Kyoto is famous for its rigid and at the same time soft structures. Rules are not written but are so strongly encoded in the social behaviors that create a kind of invisible system of relations that puzzle the westerner. The secret is to learn every thing with the body rather than with your rational mind.

Rules are not there to be discussed but can be interpreted. Traditional patterns cannot be modified but of course are filtered through the sensibility and the DNA of each individual artist.
I think you will understand what I mean by watching this video:

check below for more photos and info to purchase the book.

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Aomori Hiba wood aroma oil

hiba-oil

Japanese do not usually apply any oil on a wooden tub, but if you want, you can use hiba oil as a wood tub cleaner/conditioner.
Asnaro-Hiba oil has wonderful properties and will clean, rejuvanite and preserve your tub.
Asnaro contains more hinokitiol than hinoki wood.

It can also be used for:

  • aroma-therapy (relaxation)
  • odor elimination (recommended for your shoes closet)
  • skin care (eczema, nosocomial infections such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  • other uses: check our blog for the hiba oil detailed description)

Available in 100ml bottles at 4800 JPY per piece.
Some discount is available for larger lots. Please inquire.

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hinoki reserve (250 y.o.) oil

This oil was developed thru a crowdfunding campaign run in the fall of 2014.

Please take a look here for the campaign page: http://www.igg.me/at/pocket-onsen

As of january 2015 I have about 200 bottles on stock and out of it I think I will keep about 50 for myself. Once it is finished I do not know yet if I am going to produce it again. If you are interested to try it or test the difference, please hurry…


The oil can be used in the bath (we recommend to pour on hinoki orbs or wood blocks and place in the water) or in your aroma diffuser.
The aroma is very different from normal hinoki, I would describe it as spicier and milder at the same time.
You can purchase it thru Paypal or contact us.

– HINOKI ESSENTIAL OIL – RESERVE (250 years old)


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hinoki essential oil

Hinoki oil is obtained by steam distillation of hinoki wood trunk pulp.

On the left you can see our small size testing drum which holds 500g of wood chips.
Steam is made go thru the wood chips like a large perculator. The steam then condensate in water with some oil content in emulsion (see in the picture on the right.)
No addictive or chemical is used. After reiterating the process 4 times, the yield is about 1% which means that 1Kg of hinoki contains about 10ml of essential oil.

HINOKI ESSENTIAL OIL

hinoki-oil

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hinokitiol + hinoki oil

Hinoki aroma oil is the beloved delicate, citrus-scented quintessential japanese essential oil.
But ironically it does not contain hinokitiol. (The name originates from the fact is was first isolated in Taiwanese hinoki, on the other hand it is widely contained in hiba cedarwood)

Hinokitiol is the miraculous terpenoid with high bactericidal power. It is even effective on penicillin resistant nosocomial infections such as MRSA, and it is all natural!
We provide hinokitiol powder in you can add to the oil (in 5%, 10%, 15% concentrations) for enhanced skin care and skin healing performance.

PRODUCTS LINE:

We sell 100% pure japanese hinoki oil (extracted thru steam distillation of the trunk heartwood) in 10ml bottles. We also offer bottles of pure hinokitiol crystals in 1.0g bottles.

INSTRUCTIONS:

To contain the costs and to provide always fresh stock, we discontinued the pre-mixed hinoki oil + hinokitiol but offer the 2 products together in a value package.
You can prepare easily the enriched hinoki oil at your home.

  1. Remove the drip cap from the hinoki essential oil bottle
  2. Cap it and warm up the oil in bain marie
  3. Pour the hinokitiol powder inside with the aid of a small pad or toothpick and mix it with the hinokitiol to obtain the desired concentration. Adding 1g of hinokitiol to 10ml of hinoki oil would give you a 12% hinokitiol solution. About 6 times the concentration present in hiba oil.

You can apply the oil directly on the skin (try first a small amount) or place few drops in water used for washing or in the bathtub. Remember that oil becomes soluble in water when mixed with ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Please purchase separately ethanol at your drugstore.

hinokitiol-+-hinoki-oil

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foot bath

Here are two models of foot bath in japanese wood:

ROUND TYPE

foot bath

Sawara wood foot bath
(430x270H)
(d=16 7/8″ h=10 5/8″)
BOX TYPE

footbath02

quality: hinoki knotless wood (AB grade)
size: 1200x400xH350mm (depth 217mm)
price: 250,000 JPY + transportation cost (please enquire)
Also do not hesitate to contact us for custom sizes.

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hinokitiol powder

Hinokitiol is used as a component for soaps, scalp treatments, skin acne treatments.
Chemically, it is tropolone and is extracted from hiba oil with a laborious ultrasonication process which takes about 6 months.

Hiba oil has a yield of about 2% (it takes 50 Kg of wood to obtain 100g of oil)
Hinokitiol content inside the oil is about 1% so it takes 5000Kg of wood to obtain 100g of pure crystallized hinokitiol)
We sell hinokitiol powder in 1g bottles:

hinokitiol-w

In the picture below is 1g of hinokitiol powder.

Hinokitiol has a natural bactericidal action and can prevent skin scaling, dandruff, acne or atopic dermatitis (eczema).
It can be used as a treatment for skin diseases.

hinokitiol-chart.jpg

(Asnaro)-Hiba tree has a high concentration of hinokitiol (also known as Thujopsene) which has very powerful antiseptic properties. J. Antimicrob. Chemother.-2003-Arima-113-22.pdf

Hiba oil has a very strong forest scent, reminescent of cedarwood, maybe too intense for many people, especially ladies.
Also, even though allergic reactions are very rare, concentrate application of hiba oil directly on skin may cause a temporary rush and itching.

On the other hand, the hiba oil has a natural content of hinokitiol (about 2%) which makes it an asset when used against skin infections or for food preservation.

For this reason, we extracted pure hinokitiol (powder) and add it to hinoki oil which has a more gentle and widely appreciated aroma.
Please refer to our page about enriched hinoki oil

Please contact us for more details and bulk purchase options.


We are now testing this product with about 100 dermatologists and aromatherapists around the globe and will be glad to provide a sample upon request.
(Sorry, the program was completed as of August 2014)

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“kadomaru” nostalgic hottub

We decided to replicate a wooden tub that was the standard in every japanese household before the WWII.
It is compact and reasonably priced.
High quality japanese handicraft, solid and durable. We use 100% japanese sawara wood.
The straps are in stainless steel.
Options such as overflow cut are available (about 6,000 JPY extra)
(see an example here: 7-custom_ofuro/happy-end_in_switzerland.php )

check the page in the shop section for updated prices and details.

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