COMPANIES

COMPANIES

Mizuno Kagu Co., Ltd.

Wood expert contributing to a low-carbon society A company that makes people happy with furniture

Mizuno Kagu Co., Ltd. operates the CONNECT showroom and store, where we offer original custom-made furniture based on the concept of "a place where people can connect with each other". We also offer various brands including one for imported Scandinavian furniture and one for original custom-made furniture designed with professional storage techniques.
Furthermore, we have been working on the "Kodama Project" to connect people in the mountains upstream and the towns downstream. In this project, we conduct hands-on programs in the form of experiential parent-children tours in upstream mountains where the cedar lumber used for our desks is sourced. Participants were encouraged to consider their connection with local resources.


High-quality, fully custom-made furniture that radiates craftsmanship Mizuno Kagu has been dealing with furniture, primarily through woodworking, since the company's establishment as a woodworking factory over 70 years ago.
We offer fully made-to-order furniture that combines design and functionality with unstinting attention to detail to suit the customer's lifestyle and preferences.
Whether it's a table made from a single slab of solid natural wood, or perhaps a set of chairs that perfectly matches our lifestyle, Mizuno Kagu craftsmen put all of their heart into the furniture they create.

Creating special places with attractive furniture Mizuno Kagu comprises a number of different brands. Our fragship brand, CONNECT, is based on the concept of "a place where people connect," connecting customers with materials (valuable techniques and materials), tools (tools imbued the maker's feelings), and time (irreplaceable moments of richness).
Our NORTE line presents imported Scandinavian-designed furniture featuring the warmth of wood. The simple yet sophisticated designs blend into the surrounding space to produce a comfortable atmosphere.

Creating a 3R cycle with single-ply, solid wood Established to connect people in the upstream mountains with those in towns downstream, the Kodama Project involves development of furniture and structures made with wild cedar that has never been processed since being planted in the forest area of Higashi-Shirakawa Village, Kamo-gun, Gifu Prefecture. The project also includes sales of foods made using tomatoes and other local ingredients, while plans include lodging field trips for children to experience the mountain environment and the warmth of wood.
The project, where people share roles and thoughts becomes the catalyst for new ideas and work. Not simply about bringing effective use of local resources, but also conveying the feelings to the next generation, it fosters an environment in which innovation begets further innovation. In addition, producing furniture from domestic wood also reduces CO2 and other emissions from transporting imported wood.
Recycling single-ply, solid wood creates a brighter future for the Earth. With the "Rewood" brand, we are developing a business that purchases disused low, single slab tables from all over Japan and reprocesses them to provide new value. Since the launch in 2016, we have been aimed to prevent excessive deforestation by reusing rare wood.
A single slab of natural wood, a blessing from nature, changes in character and gains more depth and charm as it ages with use. This initiative is an opportunity to ponder the importance of continuing to use things for long periods and passing them on to the next user, rather than consuming them. It truly contributes to meeting SDG Goal 12, "Responsible Consumption and Production" and Goal 15, "Life on Land."

Production Examples

  • Kodama Base (Kodama Project)

    Kodama Project is the initiative to connect upstream-mountain people with downstream-town people, bringing together local resources and people through goods and materials. We plan, develop, and sell furniture, architecture, food, sundries, materials, and experiences that make use of locally-sourced natural materials.
    The Kodama Base shown in the photo is a movable hut that can be transported by truck and installed in the space for a single car without the need for a construction permit. It is built using Tono cedar and Tono cypress for its structural, exterior, and interior timbers, plywood, and laminated timbers, all of which are sourced from the upstream area of the Higashi-Shirakawa Village in Gifu Prefecture. The basic model has nothing inside. The floor is solid cypress wood and the walls are soft plywood, so users can add shelves and customize it as they see fit. Equipped with insulation, installing a single air conditioner provides a comfortable place to be.

  • rewood (CONNECT)

    Through the Internet, rewood purchases disused single-ply, solid wood low tables from all over Japan. Their single-ply wood boards are dries and refinishes to reutilize as valuable materials. We sell the materials to be used for furniture and countertop construction across Japan. Activating inactive resources, we seek to help save our planet and create a brighter future together.
    *This activity was recognized for a Good Design Award in 2022.

  • Custom-Made Dining Tables (CONNECT)

    We accept orders for tables with custom wood types and leg types. The photo shows a natural solid wood board. This is a very popular item and is available in custom sizes by 10 mm increments, providing different board types such as s single-piece board and laminated wood. In our showroom and shop CONNECT where we offer original made-to-order furniture including custom-made chairs of natural wood, original tables and sofas, storage furniture, and other products, we prioritize everyday comfort as well as aesthetic design. We "connect" our customers with time-honored skills and selected materials to ensure their enriched lifestyle filled with precious moments.

Company Profile

Company Name Mizuno Kagu Co., Ltd.
Founded 1960
Capital 3 million yen
Head Office 1-18, Moriyama 1-chome, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, 463-0067 Japan
Representative Teruhisa Mizuno, President and CEO
Number of Employees 2
Business Activities Planning and sales of custom-made furniture, sales of imported furniture
・CONNECT
・NORTE
・rewood
・Kodama Project

Efforts to develop new environmentally friendly products

Development of a promotional tool for the wooden camping trailer manufactured under the concept of creating a low-carbon society

Product Features】Together with production of “Kodama Base,” a movable trailer-type hut made from Tono cedar and Tono cypress grown in Gifu Prefecture’s Higashi-Shirakawa Village, we created a video to promote Kodama Base for posting on social media.


Based on expert advice, we started out by selecting the appropriate form of media, then determined the method and target for promotion. Emphasizing the joy of having a personal space that radiates the warmth of wood, and the freedom to tow it by truck to the mountains, the sea, or any natural setting, we created a video that tugged at the heartstrings of this niche market, including beginner campers and those seeking relaxation in the great outdoors.

Kodama trailer house Youtube 】

https://youtu.be/0eXb-4zns30?si=hG-BYIb7qId6Mc8F


Points leading to green innovation

This camping trailer is made of wood, a material suited to carbon neutrality efforts. “Local production for local consumption is an effort to reduce CO2 emissions in transport. Furthermore, allowing users to discover new, enjoyable lifestyles and new ways of using things in daily life provides further added value.


By offering a comfortable and environmentally friendly camping experience through the promotional video, we appeal to people who resonate with the Kodama Project and the use of local resources, while fostering awareness of the low-carbon society.

Interview

Background on Participation in this Project

As living environments change, needs for furniture also vary significantly. We participated in this project to work on across the domain of furniture—such as manufacturing wooden camping trailers—based on the social issue of achieving a low-carbon society.

Findings and impressions after participating


As a company that has never sold anything other than furniture, we were worried about where or how to begin, so we started meeting with experts.In this project, we did not focus solely on promoting the product itself and the material’s functionality, for example the fact that wood is an excellent choice for carbon neutrality. Instead of it, we started by thinking of scenes for daily life, asking ourselves “Can we use it for such-and-such?” and “Wouldn’t this sort of lifestyle be fun?” Based on experts’ advice, we selected the medium to use and produced a video for posting on social media. The video addresses a niche with scenes of mountains and the sea to convey contact with nature and the warmth of wood.This gave a good opportunity for us to reexamine our approach to users by thinking not only about the specifications and functions of the developed products, but also the user’s experience and effective ways to express.



Future proposals from our company

Nowadays, formats for furniture sales are changing, with new channels such as online shopping, not just brick-and-mortar stores. Under these circumstances, promotional methods are also undergoing various changes. We must adapt to these new formats like social media and video. Through sales of the products we develop, we aim to take the project’s objectives of connecting people in the “mountains upstream” and the “towns downstream” while communicating the importance of mountains and the warmth of wood. Furthermore, our initiatives expand to include product manufacturing that values resource and contributes to local nature conservation and environmental friendliness.