Und. Urushi Model Room

“Und.” is a place that connects people with Urushi, opened by Tsutsumi Asakichi Urushi Inc. in April 2024. The third-floor space features a model room for homes and shops showcasing the beauty of Urushi, with elements such as wipe-finished floors, kitchen counters, hand-washing basins, and walls and speakers made by combining the traditional Kyoto crafts of Kurotani Washi paper and Urushi.

Various Urushi items are displayed on shelves, and we also have samples of Urushi design work that we can create. This space is used for consultations, business meetings, and discussions related to Urushi lacquer work, such as requests for Urushi finishing or maki-e, as well as product development, allowing clients to see the actual items while we make suggestions.

Additionally, on the first floor, the specialized Urushi arts shop showcases innovative Urushi applications, including a register counter coated with tin powder and charcoal powder, Urushi-coated bicycles, and Urushi-coated wooden surfboards, offering new possibilities for Urushi use.

Wipe-on Urushi Floor

When designing your new home, remodelling, or renovating a traditional house, we highly recommend considering Urushi-coated floors. These floors are made by applying Urushi (as shown in the photo above) to wooden floorboards, which are then installed by your contractor.

Made from natural wood and Urushi, these floors are not only environmentally friendly but also highly durable, resistant to water and stains, making them easy to maintain and clean. The smooth texture of Urushi makes it so comfortable that you’ll want to walk barefoot all the time, and its soft touch feels so natural that you may even find yourself wanting to lie down on it. As the years go by, the floor’s glossiness will increase, allowing you to enjoy the aging process. Some users have also mentioned that the Urushi finish helps keep pests like insects and cockroaches at bay.

Unlike synthetic coatings, Urushi-coated floors are alive and continue to grow with time. We encourage you to consider this unique option for your space.

Please feel free to contact us for consultations with your designer or contractor before moving forward. We’re happy to assist you in bringing this beautiful, natural element into your home.

URUSHI×SURF

Our initiative to explore the new possibilities and values of Urushi is symbolised by the environmentally friendly surfboard made from natural materials like wood and Urushi. Surfers, who enjoy the ocean’s gifts, often engage in various environmental activities to give back to nature.

However, surfers commonly face a dilemma: “By entering the ocean, are we actually putting a strain on the planet?” The surfboards made from chemical resins, coated with wax, are used to glide across the waves, but many surfers feel a sense of guilt, a difficult-to-explain emotion, knowing that their boards contribute to environmental degradation.

In response to this, a growing circle of individuals is beginning to embrace the value of surfboards made from natural wood and Urushi—boards that are fully recyclable. This isn’t about rejecting conventional surfboards, but rather about making wood and Urushi surfboards a symbol. As they travel across the world’s oceans, we hope that these boards will inspire a reevaluation of our lifestyle and encourage actions that are gentler on both people and the Earth. We believe Urushi possesses the unique power to inspire such a transformation.

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