STORY
Rings of Time: From the Hills of Hiroshima to the Walls of Paris
We are looking at two large oil paintings on canvas. A striking view of a temple pagoda on a hill high above the Onomichi channel leans against the wall on the floor. The second, affixed to the wall, is a more impressionistic representation of a rainy night in Tokyo titled Eki (Station).
Eki by Seiji Fujiwara
The artist, Seiji Fujiwara, explains how it took him years to learn to let go and paint freely. More and more, I view painting like making music, he says. Indeed, Eki evokes a jazz soundtrack.
The paintings are displayed in the playfully named gorakushitsu or recreation room, which serves as the lunchroom of the family-run manufacturer of fine wood veneer boards, Hiroshima Meiboku Sangyo (Hiromei), in the rural city of Fuchu, east of Hiroshima.
The birth of Hiromei in Hiroshima’s furniture capital
It is to Hiromei that Seiji, together with his uncle, devoted most of his working life.
Fuchu has a history of furniture manufacturing that dates back around 300 years. The region was blessed with a plentiful supply of paulownia wood, which became a key material in the region’s woodworking. The climate was also ideal for natural drying, which enabled craftspeople to produce precision-made wooden products with minimal warping, helping to establish the area’s reputation for fine, durable furniture. Perhaps most fortuitous, however, was its location on the historic Sekishu Kaido trade route and the Ashida River, along which timber and handcrafted furniture were shipped throughout Japan.
During Japan’s boom years after the Second World War, Fuchu furniture found itself in high demand, thanks to the popularity of “dowry furniture sets.” The families of new brides would invest in and ship sets of drawers and dressers to adorn the homes of newlyweds. Beautifully crafted furniture made of paulownia became a sought-after status symbol among the nation’s growing middle class, and manufacturing expanded rapidly to meet demand.
When Hiromei was established in 1976, with Seiji then 22 years old, it began by producing decorative natural wood veneers to cover large pieces of furniture. Over time, however, in the face of declining demand for dowry furniture sets and a shift toward smaller living spaces, Hiromei shifted its focus to producing veneers for the walls and ceilings of hotels and commercial facilities such as shopping centers.
Seiji and his uncle devoted themselves to making the company a success in increasingly competitive times. As with many small Japanese companies, the key to success has been their attention to detail and uncompromising pursuit of quality. They would make monthly trips to timber auctions in Hokkaido, personally selecting logs one by one to ensure quality and suitability for slicing into shavings as thin as 0.25 mm. Logs are cut within 3 months of purchase. This ensures effective slicing, reduces the effect of UV rays, and prevents discoloration. The resulting paper-thin veneers are carefully dried before being applied to lightweight plywood, all under the keen eye of skilled staff, who look out for any blemishes or inconsistencies that might affect the final product.
All the while, Seiji continued to paint.
Taking a lateral view
As I was being shown through the Hiromei yard, a simple rest space caught my eye. Beneath a makeshift shelter was a massive table — a black chunk of timber resting on tires — surrounded by wooden chairs. Seiji had salvaged the wood from the waters of the Onomichi Channel; its age and provenance are unknown, but it is most likely a remnant of an old landing dock.
It is an example of what we might now call upcycling. Although Hiromei makes every effort to minimize waste, Seiji was troubled by how much material is still discarded. It is not uncommon, he says, for as little as one-third of an imported log to be used.
As the time approached for Seiji to pass the reins to his nephew, Keiki Fujiwara, he discovered a new way to connect his creative practice with Hiromei’s business — by taking a sideways look at the company itself.
“We started gathering scraps of wood from around the factory and turning them into decorative pieces through a process of bricolage,” Seiji explains. Some of these works are displayed on a high wall at the center of the factory, intentionally left unvarnished and untouched. “Just as a child delights in finding a unique stone by the sea, each piece of wood has its own value,” he says.
Drawn to the growth rings etched into discarded pieces of wood, Seiji sought to express the traces of a tree’s life through art. Whereas most veneers are sliced lengthways to create a uniform grain, he challenged his craftsmen to slice offcuts horizontally, preserving rings and knots.
In Japan, emphasizing such “individuality” of wood is sometimes seen as excessive. Overseas, however, these natural features are more readily appreciated. His wall piece Radiata Blue, made from horizontally sliced New Zealand radiata pine dyed blue, won the Grand Prix at the 2021 Salon d’Art Japonais exhibition in Paris.
Radiata Blue by Seiji Fujiwara
The unexpected acclaim proved revelatory — not only for Seiji as an artist, but also for his successor, Keiki.
A changing of the guard
Keiki Fujiwara is part of a new generation in Japan that is taking over family-owned manufacturing businesses established during the nation’s high-growth era. Many, like Keiki, are treading the fine line between honoring the founders’ legacy while adapting to increasingly competitive market conditions, and putting their own stamp on the companies they have inherited.
Keiki never saw himself as the head of Hiromei. Despite being a center of manufacturing, Fuchu is very rural. As evidenced by its declining population, it is the kind of area that youngsters born there dream of escaping. For Keiki, that meant pursuing a career as a musician, and he spent most of his early 20s playing rock ’n’ roll classics in house bands at live music venues in Hiroshima and Iwakuni.
After a not particularly successful stint helping at the factory, he spent a few years with a shipbuilding company before his father made it clear that he wanted him to step up and take Hiromei forward. After rediscovering the charm of wood, Keiki took the lead in 2022 and has been focusing on building the Hiromei brand.
While the production of wood veneers remains the mainstay of Hiromei’s business, the favorable reaction to his uncle’s Radiata Blue in Paris revealed an opportunity to pursue a more artistic avenue — one that could better convey the company’s philosophy of “allowing wood to reach its full potential.”
With guidance from his cousin Seiji, now retired from full-time work at the factory, Keiki set up a small workshop within the factory to develop a new line of handmade decorative pieces, building on the horizontally sliced technique that showcases growth rings and knots to beautiful effect.
From art to production line
After Seiji Fujiwara retired, Yoshiyuki Teraoka, who had been working at Hiromei for over a decade, was appointed head of the workshop. He is joined by two younger colleagues, both recent graduates from local high schools, and together they are taking on the challenge of developing a new form of craftsmanship.
Teraoka is quick to say that he does not consider himself particularly artistic, but rather than giving him strict instructions, Seiji encourages him to trust his instincts. Prototypes are shared with nearly 20 employees, allowing a wide range of perspectives to inform the process as the work evolves.
While the initial shaving of wood used for veneers is carried out by machine, every other step in the process is done by hand. The shavings themselves are extremely fragile and must be carefully affixed to traditional Japanese washi paper.
This process, carried out with a heated iron, demands extraordinary precision — down to the millimeter, and sometimes even a tenth of a millimeter. Even a slight misalignment can result in costly adjustments later on. Selecting appropriate stains and finishes also requires a deep understanding of each piece of wood, including characteristics such as iron content.
With the line still in development, the process is one of continual trial and error. In close dialogue with Seiji, Teraoka is compiling production manuals that will eventually make larger-scale manufacturing possible.
After years of essential yet repetitive work, he says he now finds great satisfaction in this more creative role, particularly in mentoring the younger members of the team.
Adding local color
Drawing inspiration from traditional wooden sake cups, roof tiles, and festive handheld pinwheels, the Hiromei range of wall hangings evokes classic Japanese motifs. Japanese aesthetic sensibilities are also evident in the subtle coloring, with the final finish provided by a local producer of premium furniture. They are a beautiful way to add a natural element to any modern interior.
Seiji Fujiwara has recently teamed up with an all-natural indigo dye producer based in nearby Fukuyama. Test pieces have so far been encouraging; the “Japan Blue” coloring adheres to the growth rings and knots of the wood, creating a soft, organic effect that ties the history of Fuchu’s furniture manufacturing to the textile tradition of Fukuyama, now home to some of the world’s most loved denim.
Hiromei takes center stage
Hiromei has long been one of the many unsung heroes of Japanese manufacturing: family-run companies far from the major cities that set themselves exceptionally high standards — and not only maintain them, but raise them decade after decade. By supplying materials used by well-known brands to build their spaces, these makers quietly help shape value from behind the scenes.
Reminiscing about his years as a musician, Keiki Fujiwara confesses that he really wanted to be a band’s frontman and vocalist. Now, building on the foundations laid by his father and the artistic spirit inherited from Seiji, Hiromei is beginning to step into the spotlight — with a new line of interior pieces that honor the life of trees that have long supported the company’s work, and that he hopes will resonate with people in Europe and beyond.