17 – WALL MOUNTED SPOUT
This can be fixed to the wall of laid on the tub edge.The spout is easily inspectable for mainenance. The wood rim forms a kind of a dam in order to distribute water evenly in a thin layer from the wide spout. This detail is hidden inside the spout head. Plumbing is same as floor mounted type.18 – FLOOR MOUNTED SPOUT
Basically you can feed the H&C water pipes (or premixed water) into the spout consisting of a wooden box with a “beek” sloping outwards. Plumbing will not be visible. Please be aware that this shape (column type) will be quite expensive.
19 – SPOUT SHAPES
A wall mounted spout costs about 700~800 USD (both for hinoki and asnaro) You can find here some shapes for your reference (pdf download). If you send us a sketch, we can build a spout as per your custom request. 20 – SPOUT CHECKLIST
Every situation is different, you should evaluate the following: 1) are you bringing in hot&cold or premiscelated water?
2) you should reduce pressure so to avoid water sprinkling under the cover (and since it is not sealed, from leaking out)
3) use 180degrees elbow to direct water away from the lid
4) do you have also a line for recirculated water?
5) you should open holes on site to match size and location of your piping check: reference diagram for spout plumbing
I did not make the final decision but I think the new activity will be called Japanese Historic Homes and will have a dedicated homepage.
I was (wisely!) advised that if I want to produce concrete results, I should appeal to those interested in owning a japanese home rather than just hoping to find philanthropists with deep pockets and the mission of preserving for posterity as many buildings and environments of value as possible…
“I love your idea of establishing a network to try and preserve more heritage buildings. As far as naming goes I would shy away from “save-japan.org” as this sounds like it could be connected to Fukushima or some other existing cause.
I personally think you need to appeal to those folks who wish to OWN a heritage Japanese home rather than those that wish to SAVE a heritage home, as the former has the means (money) to buy.
Something like Japan-Historic-Homes.org may work. This may facilitate easy web searches. “Heritage” is arguably a more correct word to use but I think some folks may get this confused with modern homes which have a “Heritage style”. “Historic” (or
“Historical”) does sound a bit dry and perhaps over-important, but everyone who looks at the site name will conclude that you mean old, beautiful homes of significance. Anyway, this is just a first effort. I would be very happy to help you further in any way I can.”
So please be in touch and let me know your opinion as well!
We are sad to see it go but are looking forward to seeing it rebuilt in full glory in Chiba prefecture next year.
It is a big shock for the building but imagine it is like a life saving surgery.
It is painful but all dismantling work was done gently to preserve all the parts.
I cannot imagine this jewel left prey of the bulldozers…
Well, it happened: I received another contact about an endangered house.
It is a over 100 years old house with massive columns and beams located in Nara Prefecture.
I did not see it yet in person but here are some pictures and floor plans.
The planks have knots. This does not affect the performance of the product and is more affordable costwise. Knotty wood is also believed to contain more aromatic oils. When the bathtub is skillfully assembled considering the pattern of the knots, it reinforces the confortable "woody" atmosphere.
YUTORI
The trunk is cut diagonally to avoid knots.The planks exhibit the long, elegant, pure grain of hinoki without imperfections. This cut is the most appreciated in Japan even though the subtle grain becomes more difficult to perceive with the passing of years.
SUEOKI type
The bathtub is positioned on the floor in such a way that the wooden front is exposed. This solution is preferred when also the walls are finished in wood or just to enhance the elegant simplicity of the space. See the details for more info.
UMEKOMI type
The bathtub is recessed and it is mostly visible the inside rather than the outside. This solution may be slightly and limits the cleaning and maintenance to the interior surface. See the details for more info.
CUSTOM type
Any size, from family to pool type. Any shape including round, oval, poligonal etc.
For your reference, common sizes(*) are:
(see also the standard tub sizes pricelist)
We can build any size as per your specification at no extra cost, please inquire.
S1) 0900L x 0700W x 690H
S2) 1000L x 0700W x 690H
S3) 1100L x 0700W x 690H
S4) 1200L x 0750W x 660H
S5) 1300L x 0750W x 660H
M6) 1400L x 0750W x 666H
M7) 1500L x 0750W x 616H
L8) 1800L x 1000W x 616H
R9) 1400φ x 750H
(*) sizes (mm) are external
To inquire about your custom-made ofuro please fill out the contact form below or email us.
21 – INSTALL. CLEARANCE
You should have at least 1/2" of clearance around the tub. This allows for seasonal shrinking and dilatation and facilitates the circulation of air between tub and wall.
There are 3 solutions for this detail:
leave the narrow gap open (traditional japanese way). Water flows between the wall and tub, keeping the outside face of the tub clean.
seal the gap with caulking
plug the gap with thin stripes of hinoki that are wedged inside (we can supply those free of charge).
22 – OVERFLOW
When you enter a japanese tub, the water will overflow from the top in the 4 directions. If you want to direct the overlow in one direction only, we can apply this type of cut both for singl plank tubs or kamachi frame tubs. Another option for the overflow is to have a couple of drain fittings about 50mm o.c. below the border, connected to the drain. The disadvantage is you will hear the noise of water and air being skimmed and sucked. See also notes about waterproofing in the installation section
23 – BARK WATERPROOFING
If you look closely, you will notice some buffer material between bottom and wall planks. This is hinoki bark which is used as a natural waterproofing/fungicidal material at the connection between bottom and wall planks.24- NATURAL OIL FINISH
The hinoki wood is never uretan coated in order to allow the wood pores to breath and release aromatic oils. As an extra precaution, we may propose to finish the sides facing the walls (outside face only) or the bottom with a natural clear oil produced by the german company KREIDEZEIT. http://www.kreidezeit.de/
Shoji doors are light screens made of thin lists of wood on which is applied a sheet of rice paper. They are usually sliding doors and are often used in number of 4 pieces to create a “translucent wall” that can be opened as needed from the sides or from the center.
PRICES:
We will make a detailed quotation, anyway consider about 30,000~50,000 JPY (+ shipping fee) per door including the rice paper.
MATERIAL:
Usually shoji are made of sugi-wood (japanese fir), appreciated for its soft but graphic grain and dimensional stability. We can also build shoji in hinoki but be advices that the rice paper tends to detach more easily.
SIZE:
Traditionally, japanese houses are based on the module of 1-ken (1818mm). The width of a 6 tatami or 8 tatami room is usually 2-ken… To cut a long story short, just tell us the net dimension of the opening you want to close (example, W3500mm x H2000mm). We will dimension the 4 shoji with the correct overlapping to fit your site.
If your opening is less than 2700mm, go for 3 shoji doors. If you have less than 1800mm, use 2 shoji doors. Anyway, feel free to consult us for any question.
PATTERN:
Just by changing the horizontal/vertical balance of the grid, you can obtain a completely different effect. Tell us how many rows and how many columns you want and we will prepare a drawing for your review. Or send us a picture of a shoji you like and we will give you the answer if it can be done or not.
ASSEMBLY:
Rice paper is delicate and it will damage during transportation because of humidity or temperature change. We usually send our clients the shoji frames, some rolls or paper and glue. Application is very simple and you can do it yourself.
MAINTENANCE:
Keep in mind that it is paper and it is easy to rip or stain it. Of course you cannot wash it but you can remove dust with a vacuum cleaner or a brush.
As a matter of fact, Japanese like to change the paper every year (like an american would refresh the paint in the dining room). Anyway if you can preserve it from kids or pets, rice paper just gets nicer and nicer with the passing of the years, like a parchment. Being a westerner myself, I bet you will love your rice paper even more after 20 years!
VARIATIONS:
Just send us a drawing or a picture and we will make a shoji as you like. Here below is a YUKIMI-SHOJI (see-the-snow-shoji). In my opinion this is the quintessence of the poetry in japanese construction. The shoji itself is a sliding door but a section of it can be opened as a single hung window. The shoji is translucent (opaque) but in the sliding section there is a fix clear glass pane. So you can see thru (and when it is snowing outside, yes, you will see the snow falling!).
The height of this clear glass section is masterfully balanced so that when you seat on the floor you can look outside comfortably. Anyway people walking outside will not see you. This is at the same time simple and perfect, don`t you think so?
INSTALLATION:
You will need a shiki (floor rail)
and a kamoi (overhead rail).
You can have those built by your carpenter (we will provide a scheme with the required sizes and pitch) or we can provide it as a set. In the latter case, we recommend for this particular case laminated wood because it is dimensionally stable and you will not have problems in the installation.
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.
Let me publish here the exchange of correspondence I had with a previous customer.
The mail came like a bolt from the blue:
Customer:
> hi
> how is it possible that you sell such expensive high quality baths and
> live in a high tech environment…but your website is so unpractical and
> ugly?
> it stops me from really searching, thats not good pr!
> greetz
> (signature)
> fan of wooden baths
> owner of one.
Dear (customer),
Thank you for your honest comment.
I think you are 100% right.
Actually I am in the process of renovating the HP but it is taking more
time than anticipated.
Sorry for the direct comment, I am Dutch and people from Holland are known for their directness. The difference with southern countries is already big, so you can imagine how it is in Japan
I will visit Japan within 1-2 years, I am interested in japanese woodworkingskills.
Is your business to be visited? Would be nice.
I will be mainly in Nasu (Tochigi) but who knows…
When my current bath will be rotten I defenitely want another ofuro, because it ads a lot of well beinig to my life, using such a bath.
greetings
(signature)
Well I must apologize with all of you as well for the old and non-smartphone optimized HP but, as I said above, YES! the site is under renovation.
It will come also with enhanced web-shop functions and I plan to offer you a heftier slice of Japan, including “karakami” ricepaper, “urushi” lacquer and more!
O tanoshimi-ni ~~
Meanwhile please feel free to send me your bolts… Any comment is appreciated especially if it is helping me improving the service.
