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News

Adopt a thatched roof kominka (urgent…)

This cutie will be torn down in October.
See more photos from this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kKeHXLMNTJPS7KGr8
Foot print (at wall centerline) is about 10m x 9.7m. Add 1m all around for projected roof line.
1 Story. Over 100 years old.
Located in Miyazu city, near the seashore. The straw roof is covered with sheet metal, anyway as you can see from the interior pics, the foundation (on isolated tsukaishi) the large beams, the smoked bamboo covering the inside part of the roof, the bent beams inside the roof structure are perfectly healthy.

Cost of dismantling (parts numbering etc.) about 30,000 USD.
Timber frame is all made with nuki-construction. Basically not a single metal nail. You pull out some wedges and it can be neatly dismantled without damage for the parts.

Cost of transportation: I guess one 40 ft container, considering that you will have to provide for new tatami, new shoji and fusuma etc.
The windows are cheap aluminum frame sashes and should be replaced.
It would be wonderful if you could remake the straw locally – if at all possible.
The walls are tsuchi-kabe (adobe with bamboo framing) and should also be done on site.
Or you can do timber-frame walls if you are not a purist and finish the external walls with plaster or wood slats.

Basically, you can have the structure for 40,000 USD (roughly, including transportation.)
Depending on the construction costs in your area you will need to add 100,000 USD to build and finish it.

Let me know if interested and I can obtain more precise quotations.
Here below, is a proposal considering the creation of a “doma” concrete or stone floor for an open kitchen area and rebuilding the wet areas with a hinoki bathtub (YUIP!)

find your “love at first sight BELT” on indiegogo!

With smartbiz we are finally free from the neckties but at the same time with less space to express our individuality.
This is one of the reasons behind the project to develop men`s belts from high quality silk & gold nishijin ori kimono fabric.

jump to igg.me/at/kimono-belts to learn more about the why and how of this project and choose your “love at first sight” Shu-Ha-Ri kimono belt!


https://youtu.be/Xz4xE2mkD6w

server problem

We experienced a server problem that brought the homepage offline for almost 48 hours, from June 9th to June 10th.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Please report to us any remaining problems such as missing photos, broken links etc.

Thank you for your cooperation.

new product: hinoki kumiko beds!

It finally happened!
After relaxing in a hinoki bath, now you can relax for the rest of the night in a hinoki bed! ☆彡

Another fruit of the collaboration with Murayama-sensei: here is … the kumiko bed!

For the time being, we have 2 sizes available (queen and single)

Both are available in the following versions:
1) as a full bed including frame (no mattress)
-and-
2) bed head only (the type commonly used in hotels)

The bed can be lit from behind (but no electrical fixtures are included from our side)

For sizes/prices/design options, check our product page:

https://bartokdesign.com/category/interior-products/kumiko-beds

art auction in Tokyo (4/29@11:00 JST)

This is an out-of-the-ordinary announcement and I hope that also those not interested will forgive me for the intrusion.


I was invited at the preview of an art auction on a part of the private collection of Mr. Ise, president of “Ise foods” and legendary 94 years old entrepreneur who is leader in the market of poultry and eggs in several countries (Japan, USA, Singapore, HK, and other south Asian countries)

There would be many things I would like to share with you about this extraordinary experience, anyway the urgent information I would like to transmit for your reference is that the auction will take place on Saturday 29th from 11:00 JST.

Apart for a painting of Marc Chagall, Renoir, and other giants, there are several amazing Japanese folding screens, rolls, and other pieces of Japanese art.
I have the feeling that especially these are underpriced, but also the Western art masterpieces may be really good deals also because of the weak yen.

Apparently, there is also the possibility to join the auction online.


Please check more photos at the link below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/twkx5XAFaFw7zZpcA

Even if this news is not directly hinoki bath related, many of our driends at bartok design are art lovers and collectors and, while I do not have personally the expertize to assess the value of the items in the action, I felt it is a valuable information also for the level of the other guests that attended the evening.

Let me know if you need any help or additional info.

Best//
iacopo

(more…)

waiting for you at the Ko-minka summit

happy Easter from Japan!

Just a note to let you know that also this year I will participate to the Ko-minka summit (this year near Nagoya)

I hope to see you there and for all who cannot make it to Japan, I will post photos and videos of the event.


Minka Summit 2023

Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd April

Buy tickets

Following the success of the first Minka Summit, we are delighted to announce that our 2023 event will be held at the Aichi Prefectural Citizens’ Forest in Shinishiro.

Minka Summit 2023 will include presentations, panel discussions, workshops, tours of local minka houses, our famous “Minka Mall”, meet & greets and keynote dinners – and plenty of opportunities to talk about all things minka.

Language support will be offered in English and Japanese.

(more…)

february 2023 newsletter

happy Valentine from Japan!

Well, it is not the love that you think… (;゚Д゚) … anyway, for sure a feeling of profound respect and enthusiasm to work together blossomed among us…(⋈◍>◡<◍)。✧♡

And receiving the mandate to distribute Shinichi Murayama`s amazing KUMIKO shoji products WORLDWIDE is even better than a box of choccolate candy hearts!!!

(more…)

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

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.

(more…)

december 2022 newsletter

yoi o-toshi wo o-mukae kudasai!

The phrase above is used towards the end of the year to wish a “good approach to the new year”, while once entered in 2023, “shin-nen akemashite omedetou gozaimasu” is used, which means: “the new year started to shine, congratulations”
In any case, everything that has a start will also have an end.
But the end is also the launching pad for a new start!
And we wish that 2023, the year of the rabbit will make you jump into wonderful new stories, new experiences, and maybe also in a new ofuro!

(You can scroll towards the end of this email to see my rabbit-themed proposal for the “haiku-yu” model with ceramic plates made by Nanzan Itoh)

(more…)

september 2022 newsletter

HAIKU-YU pre-release (for your eyes only!)


(use this link to open a zoomable version of this image)

Well,  it is my habit to weave the backstage stories into my messages to slowly add the strokes that complete the picture and provide you not only with the news but also with the process and the emotions behind it.
Anyway, this time is different.

I am impatient and overwhelmed to announce a new, ofuro model.
Simple, yet revolutionary!

As you can see from the image above, it originates from the collaboration between hinoki wood and the ceramic works of Itoh Nanzan, a 4th generation Kyoto ceramist.
You can see his skills in a video here (scroll down the page)
https://www.mbs.jp/kyoto-chishin/tv/2021/03_28.shtml

Nanzan-sensei will make limited series of ceramic plates to replace the copper “kugi-kakushi” of our Edo-style ofuros (with the copper plates detail)

To be honest I am wordless.
Why did it take me so long to come to this idea?!
It makes me feel ecstatic, thrilled, and also a little confused.
Is it an idea or more like a celestial download?

Let me explain more in detail why with the HAIKU-YU, the world will not be the same: the ceramic plates have a double magnet on the back side so they can be scrambled, mixed, or replaced to match a seasonal theme or a color scheme.This is probably the most fun thing that happened in my life!! and almost does not let me sleep at night! 

On top, consider that the HAIKU-YU ofuro comes with a hinoki tray and a sake set (one “tokkuri” pitcher and two “choko” cups or with matcha cups to savor the ofuro experience with the 5 senses.
But how about the 6th sense?
Please be patient, I am getting to it. As the name HAIKU-YU suggests,  all this is pure poetry. And you can also play with it!
A haiku is an impressionist type of short poem made by 17 syllables (5-7-5)
You probably heard the immortal Matsuo Basho verse:
“Furu ike ya – kawazu tobikomu – mizu no oto” – At the old pond, a frog junps in, sound of water. -As there are 18 ceramic plates, every composition can be read symbolically as a haiku poem which is completed by a plate with the monogram of Nanzan-sensei.As the tea ceremony master picks the decor and accessories to match the season, you can now choose the haiku that best fits the occasion – or your mood!



In the quest of the 7th sense…Well, sometimes less is more.
Some other times more is more!HAIKU-YU (YU stands both for “hot-water” and also for “you” – to remind you that – you – are empowered to customize your ofuro experience.
And as you can guess, the possibilities are limitless. 
A 12th-generation sake maker from Fushimi (Kyoto) already jumped into the project with a special formula, slightly sour sake that is like bread and butter with a steamy ofuro.
A ura-senke tea master and producer of rare “Kyo-Tanabe Gyokuro” tea is also excited to collaborate together. There is no rule that forbids to have a tea ceremony in a bathtub! 



Contact me by email if you want to know more about the HAIKU-YU.

I recommend a 1500mm long ofuro (fits 2) with thicker planks to avoid the need for the top frame border “kamachi” which would not fit well with the simple harmony of the colorful plates.

M-7) hinoki tub with 42mm planks: 970,000 JPY
 500L / 132 US gallon 1500L x 750W x 630H (D550) (59.1” x 29.5” x 24.8”)

hinoki tray: 30,000 JPY
one set of 18 plates: 220,000 JPY
one sake set with 2 cups: 110,000 JPY
one bottle of tsuki no katsura sake (since 1675): present

All the best and happy HAIKU-YU!
with love and enthusiasm//

from iacopo

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