History of Tokyo Mokkoujou

The history of Tokyo Mokkoujou Arts & Crafts Furnishings goes back some 130 years to 1884. The facility got its start when Shimizu Gumi (now Shimizu Corporation) acquired the former site of the Shogunate’s official lumber purveyor in Fukagawa-Shimadacho (now Kiba, Koto Ward, Tokyo) and began using it as a lumber cutting and assembly facility.

Later, as the Fukagawa Works, the facility was equipped with saws, woodworking equipment, and other machinery to meet growing demand from the construction industry. After the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, it served as a depot for lumber materials as part of the recovery efforts in Japan’s capital city.

Tokyo Mokkoujou Arts & Crafts Furnishings during the Taisho Period (1912-1926)

After being completely destroyed in 1945, the facility was quickly rebuilt after the war. It helped procure lumber materials needed for postwar reconstruction, while at the same time expanding its plant facilities. From 1955, it began to acquire various woodworking equipment, including long hot presses and high-frequency equipment. It also acquired facilities to maintain constant temperature and humidity. These and other efforts improved the quality of its wood products and expanded its working capacity.

Plant No. 4 was built in 1962 to meet growing demand for wood construction work, adding five-level hot presses and significantly expanding plant activity. The new plant also marked the start of mass-produced flush doors. The facility was renamed Tokyo Mokkoujou during this year. Organizational reforms designed to further improve quality began in 1979 with the adoption of a total quality control (TQC) system.

The kenjaku (measuring) ceremony in 1970. This ceremony, a simplified version of the ancient tradition of welcoming the New Year by landing a raw log from the river behind the plant and starting up the woodworking machinery to make measuring sticks, has been performed as a Shinto ritual since 1969. The ceremony continues to this day, representing our hopes to pass on traditional woodworking techniques to future generations.

Since 1997, to further improve technical skills, Tokyo Mokkoujou staff, chiefly younger employees, have participated actively in outside competitions. Tokyo Mokkoujou’s woodworking technologies have won awards in a wide range of competitions, including the Skills Grand Prix, a national competition among holders of National Trade Skill Testing and Certification first grade certification. (See “Awards” for more information.)