The Catalyst Was the HiAce

Please tell us about your business and how it started.

Our company was founded in 1869 (Meiji 2). Tatami emerged 700 years ago, with its history continuing for 1300 years. It became commonplace among the masses from the late Edo period to the Meiji era. Until then, tatami was a luxury item meant for those of high status. Therefore, it is common for tatami shops to have been established for 100 to 150 years since the Meiji period. I took over as the fifth generation.

You worked at an architectural firm before taking over the family business; can you share what prompted that decision?

I was born in 1983, during a time when the popularity of tatami was declining. I had a somewhat old-fashioned image of tatami and thought that flooring was cooler from elementary school. I also felt that there were fewer tatami rooms in households. Additionally, the work of tatami craftsman in residential settings often involved dusty tasks, so I didn’t consider taking over the tatami shop in the future. However, I also loved the unique atmosphere of temples and shrines since childhood.

Later, I pursued a degree in architecture and got a job at an architectural firm in Tokyo. However, as it was a long-standing family business with a rich history, I felt a sense of sadness about not continuing the shop.
In 2017, I decided to establish my own architectural firm and left the company I was working for, returning home to prepare for my venture. With some savings and no deadline for starting the business, I was able to spend time leisurely while preparing for my company.
During this time, in 2018, a friend asked me to lay tatami in the back of a HiAce. Until then, I thought tatami could only be made in square shapes, but when I created tatami that could be freely deformed to fit the shape of the interior of the vehicle, I realized that tatami had many more possibilities. Since I had always loved design, I thought that if I developed this further, it could lead to more interesting outcomes.

Through my previous work at the architectural firm, I had visited various interior-related exhibitions across Europe, including Milan Design Week, but I had never seen any products made with tatami. Thus, I felt it could be exciting to introduce these deformed tatami products overseas.
Tatami originated in Japan and has a 1300-year history, yet it has not yet spread widely enough to become common in overseas households. I thought it was a very interesting product once again. Rather than just for business, the motivation to take on new challenges while enjoying myself led to where we are today.

I have always admired overseas cultures and ultimately aim for international expansion, but for now, I want to focus on expanding the expressive potential of tatami through production and raising awareness domestically.

Leveraging Comprehensive Skills, Knowledge, & Experience Cultivated in a Construction Company for Production

Please tell us about the production process and your commitment to creating altered tatami mats.

First, we consider the design of the tatami mats; unlike paintings or sculptures, we need to take into account the lighting conditions and the movement paths of people. Since tatami mats are primarily embedded in the floors of houses and temples, we check the relationship and conditions regarding the position of windows and how light enters. At that time, we use a circular tatami mat called “光のパレット” (Light Palette), which features rings made from igusa (rush grass) with altered weaving angles as a field tool. We place the Light Palette on the floor to confirm which rings shine according to the location and angle, and to observe changes in color due to light reflection.

Human movement paths are also important. We check whether the design has a strong impact when entering the space. After confirming various conditions, we sketch the design. Subsequently, just like making clothing, we create a pattern for the tatami, cut the core materials to fit, and then wrap the igusa around to produce the parts. For the curved sections, we apply steam and wrap the igusa while aligning it to the shape.

Tatami mats are made to fit the shape of the house, making them non-interchangeable. Although rectangular tatami mats may look identical, they are actually crafted to fit perfectly down to the millimeter based on the distortions of each house. This explains why there are tatami shops across the country. To ensure that tatami mats are accurately measured and delivered according to the installation spaces, tatami shops have developed as local industries.
“龍の畳” (Dragon Tatami) consists of 201 parts, all made from igusa of the same color. Similar to fabric, it is woven with weft and warp threads, where the weft is made of igusa and the warp is made of cotton thread. By finely adjusting the angles, they calculate the color variations caused by light reflection during the design process. From the front view, the dragon's teeth appear white, but change to gold when viewed from a different position. Colors also shift depending on the time of day and seasons.

In contrast, standard rectangular tatami mats have wide weaves, with the cut edges protected by borders. On the other hand, tatami mats without borders, like Ryukyu tatami, have finer weaves which allow for bending, making it possible to create intricate shapes.

What are your strengths, Yamada?

Altered tatami mats are created using techniques adapted from Ryukyu tatami production. While straight lines can be handled by machines, creating curves necessitates more manual labor, increasing production time. Furthermore, I pride myself on my comprehensive abilities, managing everything from planning and production to sales and publicity independently. Drawing on my experiences in a construction company in Tokyo, my knowledge of materials, structures, and design all play vital roles in the creation of altered tatami mats.

What is the charm of altered tatami mats?

The most captivating aspect of altered tatami mats is the beauty of the igusa when illuminated. Growing up as the son of a tatami shop owner, I have been moved by the beauty of the material when it catches the light. At certain times, it seems to shimmer as if gold leaf has been applied. Altered tatami mats display their ephemeral beauty influenced by factors like time of day and weather. During summer, they may take on a bluish hue, while in winter, they exhibit gentle weaves, communicating the essence of the season; at night, the illumination can cause them to appear white, allowing for diverse expressions depending on the time.
I am working with light itself. I express the worldview found in Junichiro Tanizaki's essay “陰翳礼讃” (In Praise of Shadows) through tatami, directly reflecting how light can be perceived, making the tatami itself a device for measuring light. Through creating altered tatami mats, I have become aware of the nuances of light and color changes due to the intricate angles of the weaves.

Furthermore, while typical rectangular tatami mats maintain a clear boundary between inside and outside, I hypothesized that altering the tatami mats could blur that boundary. At an exhibition held at Tofuku-ji's Komyo-in in 2023, we were able to open the walls separating the inside from the outside, creating continuity between the tatami adorned with crane designs inside and the dry landscape garden by Mirei Shigemori outside. When sunlight pours in, the crane's beak glimmers, and the hues of the tatami shift with the time of day and seasons.

The designs feature a wide range, from figurative forms such as dragons and cranes to geometric patterns filled with circles and polygons. Are there sources of inspiration or references for your ideas?

I frequently check social media and YouTube to gain insights into the latest trends and ideas. I believe it's a great time to learn for free and acquire a wealth of information instantly. I also visit art museums and am currently taking correspondence courses at Kyoto University of Art.
I enjoy analyzing content that goes viral on social media and YouTube, contemplating why it's popular. In the future, I would like to produce videos using my own works and share them.

What were the objectives and background behind the “WAZA ART FES” held this summer?

As the initiator, I organized the art event “WAZA ART FES,” gathering around 40 creators and experts, which was held for one month at the “Bunka no Michi Shumokukan” in Nagoya. The impetus for the event came from meeting various interesting specialists through the production and exhibition of irregular tatami mats. I found many intriguing individuals, even if they were not mainstream, and I wanted to promote cultural exchange. The event was enriched not only by exhibitions but also through workshops and demonstrations by craft artists, dance performances, and hair and makeup shows by stylists, leading to natural collaborations across different industries.

Breaking the Design that has Remained Unchanged for 1300 Years, Expanding the Possibilities of Tatami

The domestic production of tatami continues to decline each year. What do you think is necessary to address the industry's challenges and resolve these issues?

Regarding the reduction in production, I feel that it is difficult to solve this solely through appeals from the industry as a whole. Personally, I want to focus on art and international expansion. I believe that communicating the unique aspects of tatami and pursuing fascinating designs that can evoke emotions will help address these challenges.

While there are no accurate statistics, over 40 years ago, more than four of the five rooms in a typical house were tatami rooms. However, nowadays, many homes have either one tatami room or none at all. Increasing the number of tatami rooms might be challenging, but there are still relatively many floor plans with a Japanese-style room next to the living room, so designing tatami flooring in areas that naturally catch the eye in daily life could be interesting. I think it would be intriguing to enjoy tatami as both a decorative and practical element, akin to hanging a painting on the wall, proposing it in a new form. Even non-figurative designs, such as geometric patterns of polygons, might be more easily incorporated into interior design.

What kind of innovations or new technological approaches do you plan to pursue in the future? Additionally, could you share your future prospects?

During WAZA ART FES, I collaborated with Yuta Sugiura's laboratory at Keio University to create an artwork expressing ideas using light and rotating motors. I aspire to produce a larger-scale tatami device called “TataPixel,” which expresses figurative elements solely through the reflection of light.
I also wish to create works that can be used interchangeably as wall and floor pieces.
While creating tatami rooms limits the potential buyers, I am considering selling tatami works akin to paintings.
Moreover, on the technical side, I want to explore expressing through dyeing. Since using color can obscure light reflection, I have previously created pieces using only natural color rushes to create multiple colors through light reflection. As the next step, I seek to explore dyeing technology and apply it to wall-hanging artworks.

Ultimately, this is a very big dream, but I hope to one day hold exhibitions at the Palace of Versailles and Katsura Imperial Villa. Although I have not visited them yet, I believe that the Palace of Versailles is one of the most elaborately decorated buildings in the world. Various materials, such as stone and glass, from around the globe are used in its decoration, but I think tatami is the only material that has not been utilized. I envision tatami harmonizing beautifully within that splendid space. Imagining what proposals could be made if Louis XIV were aware of tatami's existence is exciting.
Additionally, since there are many tea rooms at Katsura Imperial Villa, I think it would be fascinating to set themes for each tea room and hold exhibitions with different designs.

I would also like to continue exhibiting in open spaces without walls, like at the Komyo-in temple of Tofuku-ji in Kyoto. While placing paintings or sculptures on walls can create a barrier between the interior and exterior, works created on floors can establish continuity similar to borrowed scenery. The continuity between the interior and exterior is a unique expressive method of tatami. I want to challenge myself to expand expressions, not limited to completing tatami works but extending outward towards the outdoors.