Wooden Board with Handle - Medium

This wooden board was handcrafted in Iwate Prefecture from high-quality paulownia wood scraps left over from the production of Iwayado Tansu, ornate chests of drawers with origins in the 12th century. The craftspeople only use the finest quality trees, often centuries old, to make Iwayado Tansu. The felled trees are processed into planks and left to dry naturally for several years to reduce cracks and warps which could otherwise be caused by uneven changes in moisture content. In order to avoid wasting precious material a detailed cutting plan is made to process the planks and cut them to size. The small amount of scraps left from this process are then cut and planed to size to create these cutting boards. Just like Iwayado Tansu, the boards are coated several times in fine layers of urushi (derived from Japanese lacquer tree sap), which accentuates the wood grain and provides increased durability.

Size: L20 cm x W15 cm x H1.7 cm

Kansai

The Kansai region includes the second-most populated metropolitan area in Japan with its largest city Osaka. Kyoto and Nara, two of Japan’s former capital cities, are home to important temples and shrines and strongholds of intangible cultural heritage, such as the Kyoto textile weaving skills of Nishijin.