Japanese mountain cherry wood (yamasakura) shaker boxes

North of Kyōto, near the charming village of Miyama and surrounded by mountains covered with cedar and cypress forests, Masayuki Unō, founder of the UNOH workshop, has been lovingly making boxes for the past 30 years using a technique closely related to magewappa, or “bent wood”, a 400-year-old Japanese tradition, while also drawing on the Shaker tradition. Originating in the Shaker communities established in the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, Shaker style favours simplicity of form, functionality and quality craftsmanship, a refined aesthetic that finds a natural echo in Japanese craft traditions.

Cherry tree trunks are cut into thin strips, with only those whose grain matches the desired appearance being selected. The strips are boiled to make them pliable, then bent around custom-made forms and secured with small copper tacks in the Shaker tradition. Each element, lid and base, is carefully worked to ensure a perfect fit. The boxes are then oiled and waxed. The entire process takes several weeks.

These boxes have the quiet beauty of objects designed to age gracefully, developing a patina over time and becoming companions for a lifetime. Their beautifully balanced curves and understated elegance allow them to sit naturally within any interior or style of decoration.

We offer five sizes in this wood and finish:

Size 1: L 15.5 cm × W 10.5 cm × H 6 cm

Size 2: L 18.5 cm × W 12.2 cm × H 7 cm

Size 3: L 22 cm × W 17 cm × H 8.5 cm

Size 4: L 25 cm × W 18 cm × H 10.5 cm

Size 5: L 28.5 cm × W 21.5 cm × H 12 cm

CARE INSTRUCTIONSTo be cleaned with a soft cloth and a little luckwarm water.