Collaboration with Shinichi Murayama
A common friend introduced me to a genial wood craftsman from Western Kyoto…
And it was love at first sight!
Bartok design Japan Co. will be the official distributor for the products of Murayama Mokko worldwide!
-> to the shop page
![](https://bartokdesign.com/wpnew/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/20230210_145515-scaled-e1676295573869-1024x987.jpg)
Shinichi Maruyama is specialized in the “Kumiko” technique which is used to create shoji and other traditional interior items. (See below for more details)
But Maruyama-sensei pushed the technique towards new unimaginable horizons with curved kumiko, three-dimensional kumiko, and stunning interiors for leading hotels such as Ritz Carlton, Prince Hotel, ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel, FAUCHON L’Hotel, and others.
I visited on a rainy february day (better rainy than snowy) and I was re-routed 3 times because of road closures.
Then I finally reached the workshop and witty cafe/shared office they manage, overlooking a white canvas.
“Kumiko” would translate into something like “joinery play” and is composed of a triangular grid on which more intricate layers of geometrical shapes are overlapped.
Stemming from the “aesthetics of shadows” of the shoji in a broader concept, The Kumiko objects are masterpieces of optical illusions and hidden geometries can be discovered and created by changing the angle or the orientation of the light.
![](https://bartokdesign.com/wpnew/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ScreenShot_20230213205357-1024x248.png)
Feel free to browse the items we have in stock in our shop page or contact us for custom projects, from custom doors of a cabinet to a mesmerizing kumiko Christmas tree, from a lace-like reception counter to a complete interior for a wedding chapel.
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