Osaka Senshu Kiri Tansu

Thick boards, straight grain

Osaka Senshu Kiri Tansu use solid paulownia boards over 20 mm thick, naturally dried for one to two years so that no tannin stains appear. The front is made of straight-grained boards with fine, even rings, edge-joined with an advanced technique called hagi so it looks like one wide board. A special colouring resists finger marks and dirt. They are made in Kishiwada, Sakai, Izumi and nearby towns in Osaka.

Matching every board

• Boards are sorted by size, cut and matched, deciding which board goes where.
• Straight-grained boards are edge-joined into wide panels.
• Parts are assembled with interlocking joints and wooden nails, never metal nails.
• A special stain is applied that resists dirt and finger marks.

A farmers' side craft

Making simple boxes and joinery from local kihada and paulownia, alongside farming, is said to have begun in the mid-Edo period. From the late Edo to the Meiji period the Senshu area of southern Osaka grew into a major production centre, and its traditional techniques are still handed down.