Nara Period Rest

[Fukumitsu Noriatsu]

I am posting photos and information for the rest commissioned by Ii-dono.  It is going to be 47" long, the top will be 5 3/4" wide, the base is going to be 10 1/2" wide, and 14 1/2" tall.  The rest is made out of hard maple, and will be finished with a polyurethane topcoat.  Here is a photo of what we are trying to match.



I got the two scroll work pieces cut out this morning.




I have the top cut out and shaped half way, but my phone's battery is low and won't let me take a photo, I will post one tomorrow.

[Fukumitsu Noriatsu]

My apologies for not updating sooner, I'm currently trying to figure out an alternate living situation.  But, this is what I have gotten accomplished so far.









For those who are wondering why I only have one scroll work piece, my drill bit broke on the other one, and it subsequently died a horrible death. But, besides that I like the way everything is turning out so far. 

[Abe Akirakeiko]

Ii's wife Abe here. This is amazing! Thank you for your hard work.

One question: have the individual pieces already been finished? If so, that's fine -- but if not, I had the idea of doing some decorative staining/painting to come closer to the original. Let us know!

[Fukumitsu Noriatsu]

Thank you! Sorry I haven't responded sooner, my wife and I are currently in the middle trying to buy a house. As to your question, no I have not finished any of the pieces, Ii messaged me saying that you wanted to paint and stain it yourselves. I look forward to seeing how it turns out, and if you need any advice just ask.

[Fukumitsu Noriatsu]

Hello all!  I apologize for the amount of time that has passed since my last update, life has been pretty hellish lately.  But, I finally have some update photos of the rest I am working on for Ii-dono.  They are of the rest dry fit together.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2015 5:59:15 GMT -5 Fukumitsu Noriatsu said:

I finally have some update photos of the rest I am working on for Ii-dono.

So much to like about this project. I love the scrolly bits at the base, the turned bits in the middle of the legs, and the grain of the top surface. Wonderful work as usual.

[Fukumitsu Noriatsu]

Thank you Ishiyama-dono. It's coming along, I still have to remove some more material above and below the turned section. 

[Abe Akirakeiko]

Holy moley, that is fabulous. *swoon*

I had previously talked to you about leaving this unsealed to do some decorative painting, and I'll have to step up my game to make sure I can do it justice!
You can see from the original image in the first post that the original armrest is extensively decorated with marquetry/inlay of exotic woods, antler, etc. That's beyond my skills, but the decorative painting is doable - and there are a number of other items in the Shosoin that were of light wood (including kaede maple) stained with sappanwood, so that might be a great place to start.

Thank you again so much for this!

[Fukumitsu Noriatsu]

Neat! Do you have any pictures of the other light pieces you are referring to?

[Abe Akirakeiko]

Crap, I just realized I completely missed your question back in July.

I am having a hard time identifying sappanwood-stained items like I said - most of them are simply painted. Here are a couple of examples:

shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/Treasure?id=0000014713

shosoin.kunaicho.go.jp/en-US/Treasure?id=0000011866

I rounded up a couple of hinoki-wood boxes on Ebay that I may try some ideas out on.

[Deleted]

Sept 30, 2015 12:01:12 GMT -5 Abe Akirakeiko said:

I rounded up a couple of hinoki-wood boxes on Ebay that I may try some ideas out on.

For testing, sake masu and sushi geta are often made of hinoki cypress.

[Abe Akirakeiko]

So in the latest Shoso-in exhibition, there is a hinoki-wood box, stained with sappanwood, that is a perfect example of the decorative painting I was talking about:

www.narahaku.go.jp/exhibition/2015toku/shosoin/images/shosoin_08.jpg

www.narahaku.go.jp/exhibition/2015toku/shosoin/2015shosoin_index.html#tenjiku