A chair on the vertical axis

The Japanese expression “jump from the stage of Kiyomizu.” is the Japanese equivalent of the English phrase “to take the plunge.”

These words express a strong determination to jump from the famous Kiyomizu Temple stage, a platform that juts from a sheer cliff. Despite the cliff that made the construction challenge, the stage was built with an earthquake-resistant structure.

It is assembled in a traditional Japanese construction method called kakezukuri, in which timbers in a vertical and horizontal lattice support each other through joints.

A chair on the vertical axis abstracts this traditional construction method, which has supported Japanese temples for over 1,500 years, as a chair structure and design. The joints where vertical and horizontal lines intersect join flexibly as in the human body.

The backrest, carved into an oval form from solid wood, creates a chair of a simple and neat appearance that gently accepts a resting body.