The first cedar collection, Moriwa, transforms regional timber from Tokyo’s Okutama mountains into furniture for everyday life There is a paradox at the heart of Japanese forestry: softwoods account for nearly 93% of the country’s domestic timber, yet Japanese cedar, sugi, has long been considered unsuitable for slender, durable furniture. Too soft, too knotted, too unpredictable. Karimoku Furniture decided to start exactly there. MORIWA is Karimoku’s first collection centred on sugi, born from a collaboration with Nomura Real Estate Group and architect Keiji Ashizawa through the “Connecting Forests” Tokyo Project, an initiative to transform small-diameter, knotted timber from the Okutama region into high-value furniture. The result won the Good Design Award and opens a new chapter in Japanese furniture making. A name that carries meaning MORIWA combines Mori, forest, with Wa, a character that in Japanese simultaneously means harmony, cycle and connection. The name is a quiet manifesto: furniture as part of a sustainable natural loop, not a departure from it. Karimoku, MORIWA collection Turning limitations into features Ashizawa’s approach was to work with the cedar’s nature rather than against it. Where hardwoods provide strength in the structural joints and accents, lightweight cedar does what it does best: it lends warmth, lightness and a visual grain that no engineered material can replicate. The natural knots, typically a reason for rejection in timber selection, become part of the aesthetic language. Karimoku, MORIWA collection The collection was developed using inclusive design principles, incorporating feedback from individuals with visual impairments, wheelchair users and prosthetic limb users. Rounded leg profiles, multi-functional backrests and considered proportions make the pieces as welcoming as they are elegant. Three finishes complete the range: Clear, which reveals the bright natural grain; Smoked, for muted and harmonised tones; and Black, refined and precise. Six pieces in total, from task chairs to tables, designed for offices, public spaces and commercial interiors. Karimoku, MORIWA collection A response to a forestry crisis Unlike hardwoods, which require long drying times and come from slower-growing species, Japanese cedar grows across the country and can be processed quickly. By managing timber by origin and species, Karimoku is building a system that integrates regional softwoods into projects nationwide, giving designers a way to support sustainable forestry while bringing the spirit of Japan’s forests into any interior. MORIWA does not romanticise nature. It works with it. Karimoku, MORIWA collection MORIWA collection. Karimoku Furniture Inc., 2026 Design: Keiji Ashizawa.
