Toyoda Woodcraft has been manufacturing wooden fittings and kumiko craftwork since its establishment in 1947. Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture, where the company is located, has long been a leading manufacturer of fittings, and even today is one of the best-known woodworking cities in Japan.

With new designs that retain the craftsmanship cultivated through history and tradition, the company creates items that make life enjoyable and luxurious, both aesthetically and functionally. Toyoda Woodcraft's products are also used by first-class hotels and resorts in Japan.

About 350 years ago, during the Edo period, Nikko Toshogu Shrine in Tochigi Prefecture, a shrine dedicated to general Tokugawa Ieyasu, who united the feudal lords of the Sengoku period, underwent a massive reconstruction project that continued for years.

In that process, Kanuma City flourished as a relay point for large quantities of lumber for preparation and pre-construction work. For the rebuilding work, many skilled craftsmen gathered from all over the Japan, and their outstanding techniques became rooted in Kanuma city, eventually making the city famous for its excellent lumber and woodworking products.

Even today, these skills are carried on in the manufacture of wooden fittings that incorporate woodworking techniques such as Kanuma kumiko.

Kumiko craftwork is a traditional Japanese woodworking technique in which fine wooden pieces are assembled into a geometric pattern. Kanuma kumiko is a traditional handicraft of Kanuma City in Tochigi Prefecture.

Kumiko craftwork is assembled without using any nails or metal fixtures, and is formed by cutting thousands of pieces of wood and assembling them by hand.

Kanuma kumiko has been used for transoms and Shoji screens, and is considered the highest luxury item for decorating Japanese-style interiors. However, Toyoda Woodcraft is bringing traditional Kanuma kumiko into modern and familiar products such as plates, trays, coasters, and other tableware.

Kanuma Kumiko made by Toyoda Woodcraft often uses a minimalistic geometric pattern called "Asanoha," which resembles hemp leaves.

The hemp leaf pattern is made by cutting into the wood planks and assembling them into continuous triangular formations. This beautiful pattern is created through a very delicate and sensitive process that requires a high level of attention to detail.

Kanuma City is also known as a production center of hemp leaves, which have been cultivated for rope and textiles throughout its long history dating back to BC in Japan. The hemp leaf is believed to have the power to repel evil, and the hemp leaf pattern is also known as a symbol of warding off bad luck.