Kanai Tatami Ten
Tatami
“Handmade tatami lasts a long time”
The history of tatami goes back to the 8th century. First, people started to make straw woven mats to reuse straw after harvesting rice. The original tatami was a layered-straw woven mat, wrapped around with Igusa plant (Juncus decipiens).
The reason they are handmade
Human hands are capable of cutting, sewing, and fastening materials while maintaining a balanced result. We can make tatami with a balanced structure to prevent it from losing its
shape. Tatami wears little by little from use. If it is unevenly structured, it wears out quickly.
I believe that putting heart into every step of the process can be achieved only by hand. When I work with delicate materials, I use gentle hands to produce them. Depending on the characteristics of the material, I modify how much I pull it toward the edge.
I pay attention to the characteristics of the materials to decide how to sew, pull, and tighten. Each one is different.
How to enjoy tatami
I hear some questions about how to use tatami.
Tatami is for a barefoot culture. It is good for the tatami if you walk on it with bare feet. After many years, the tatami turns shiny.
I think itʼs almost like “growing tatami”, just like growing indoor plants.
I will be happy if, every time you see tatami, you appreciate that tatami is not a consumable product.I hear some questions about how to use tatami.
Tatami is for a barefoot culture. It is good for the tatami if you walk on it with bare feet. After many years, the tatami turns shiny.
I think itʼs almost like “growing tatami”, just like growing indoor plants.
I will be happy if, every time you see tatami, you appreciate that tatami is not a consumable product.
There are four seasons in Japan. I think the Japanese are an amazing ethnic group who create many things using seasonal natural resources.
For example, tatami responds to its environment differently in different seasons, even if itʼs not visible to us. In the winter, the reason tatami doesnʼt dry out is because it releases the moisture that was stored during the summer.
In the summer, the reason tatami feels cool is that it absorbs the moisture in the air. Itʼs quite amazing that our ancestors came up with this idea.
I think people in other countries probably donʼt have such a view of the world. Although times have changed, the culture of living on something made of plants is a uniquely Japanese
culture, so it is important to keep it that way.
An important factor is often working hard behind the scenes, and its genius is not visible.
Times have changed, but I hope that the very unique culture of living on plant material is renewed among the Japanese. Itʼs such a unique culture only for the Japanese; I wish Japanese people would pay more attention to tatami once again. I hope they will experience how wonderful tatami is.
I think foreigners might find it interesting when they learn about the culture behind it.
Our values
KANAI Isao
The nature of tatami making is that it is all handmade. If we donʼt know the fundamentals, we canʼt go to the next step. I think itʼs always the same. Even if you do something new and it is well received, if it is outside of the fundamentals, it is meaningless. We can put forth something new only on a good foundation. I donʼt believe in making something unique and
new just for the sake of being new. As a craftsman, no matter the technology and AI advances, handmade will be always important. As long as my hands move, I would like to continue challenging myself and make tatami by hand.
