WADA Gallery

The Aesthetics of Wood

By Ellen Haig

Yasuhiko Wada started in the furniture trade as an apprentice to the owner of a traditional Japanese antique shop in Osaka. He moved there and lived with his master in the traditional deshi manner, working for ten years just for food and lodgings plus, of course, all the wisdom he could absorb from watching, helping and listening.
It truly was the life of an apprentice. My day started with cleaning the premises and running errands. But I did learn all the ins and outs of the profession by heart; I was educated through my eyes and taste, and learned how to recognise and identify antiques. After ten years my master told me that I was ready to become independent and I could open my own shop.
Wada has always preferred wooden pieces and he soon became very interested in Korean furniture. Over the years it ended up becoming his specialty. This year marks 25 years since Gallery Wada opened up on Koto Dori, just a few blocks away from Aoyama Avenue.
I soon realised that there weren’t many shops specialising in Korean furniture and I got into it more and more.

What’s the appeal of Korean furniture?
In general the beauty of wooden furniture lies in the grain of the wood; it has a natural warmth that no synthetic material can ever replace. He points at a Korean chest. “Look! This is a gorgeous and timeless piece of craftsmanship. No nails were used—the parts fit together with indented grooves and holes. Its restrained lines and subdued colour, together with its elegant simplicity, make this chest a fine piece of furniture. Moreover Korean chests are extremely easy to combine with modern interiors, either Asian or Western. They don’t clash with other items in the room. Their rectangular and square forms are solid but non-obtrusive. And they’re covered by a sort of lacquer that makes them resistant to weathering and to insects. With time a deep patina develops, bringing out a warm shine that increases the loveliness of the piece.
The sense of ease and comfort that Korean furniture brings to a modern room with its rustic folk character and quiet natural glow are well in evidence at the gallery, where the crisp light of late autumn filters through the ample windows. Six times a year Gallery Wada provides space for various artists and craftsmen to exhibit their works. Textiles, jewellery, metal and glass sculptures all seem to harmoniously blend with the furniture on display.

Treasure-seeking journeys
Wada often travels to destinations such as Korea, Thailand and Europe, in particular Spain.
I have a cousin who has made his home in Barcelona. When I visited him I went on shorts trips around the countryside and found brilliant wooden objects.
One of them was a large threshing implement made of olive wood. Wada has covered it with a glass sheet, turning it into a very special coffee table. Next to it stands an old weathered Spanish bench that is not only comfortable to sit on but also rather quirky and full of character.
I enjoy travelling and searching for unusual objects that I can display in my gallery. Tribal art from Myanmar and an old Thai boat carved out of a trunk tree have been transformed into comfortable seats. Tall mortars like that one in the corner were usually half buried in the sand of fishing villages.
Here at the Wada Gallery they’re being used as vases for splendid flower arrangements.
Hanging gardens
Nearby, a sculptural African wooden bed competes for attention. By the windows, delicate orchids hang from the slightly protruding pockets of large sand-shaded ceramic panels. They are made in Korea by young craftsmen with innovative and functional interior decoration ideas. These panels can be produced in various sizes in accordance to the client’s needs and specifications. Not only do they serve as attractive room dividers, they also double as humidifiers. When water is sprayed on their surface it will moisturize a room for hours without causing any unsightly steam. So the orchids happily live and hang from them—inspired, perhaps, by the ancient hanging gardens of Babylon?

Antiques to order
Wada—a man who likes to work with wood himself and to construct his own pieces— can also help create your own antique-like pieces.
Some of my clients want to obtain antique furnishings, but the measurements of a certain chest or table will not suit their living space. Other times they’ll be after a piece currently not available. So we make similar ones using old wooden boards and antique metalwork, following traditional carpentry techniques. When I travel in Asia, I look for old beams, gates and other structural components from houses just being demolished and still usable parts from old furniture carcasses, or certain woods, which I buy and store for later when such a request comes up.
Wada’s pieces of furniture are all hand-picked during the course of his journey— chosen for their uniqueness and rustic qualities. With their clean, simple lines and wonderful patina, they seem to convey the soul of Korea’s 5,000 years of history.