Karuizawa, located on the southern slopes of Mt. Asama at about 1,000 meters in elevation, is famous as a summer resort, where trees spread their branches and the air remains cool even in midsummer. Since the Meiji era, it has been loved as a villa retreat by foreign missionaries, the Imperial family, business leaders, and cultural figures. Out of the abundant local timber, Western tastes, and the techniques of Nikko carving, the traditional craft of Karuizawa-bori (Karuizawa Carving) was born.

“In the Edo period, Karuizawa was apparently just a quiet post town. Our shop name includes ‘Osakaya’ because our family originally ran an inn called ‘Osakaya,’” says Tadashi Tsuchiya, manager of Osakaya Furniture Shop.

The founder, Mijirō Kawasaki, was a craftsman of Nikkō-bori, a woodcarving tradition that flourished with the construction of Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine in Tochigi. In 1892, responding to requests from foreign missionaries and diplomats, he began adding carvings to villa furniture, giving birth to Karuizawa carving. Later, his son-in-law Toragorō Tsuchiya inherited the business, renaming it Osakaya Furniture Shop from the older family name “Osakaya” dating back to Tokugawa times.

“Because the founder was a Nikko carver, the earliest motifs were pines, bamboo, plum, chrysanthemums, and irises. Later, cherry blossoms—symbolizing Japan—and grapes, tied to Christianity, were added. Today, cherry blossoms and grapes are the two main motifs representing Karuizawa carving.”

Osakaya Furniture Shop is the only workshop in Karuizawa carving that handles every step in-house—woodworking, carving, and lacquering. From the workshop, one can still hear the “ton-ton” sound of craftsmen striking chisels with mallets.

One hallmark of Karuizawa carving is its “knockdown” construction, meaning furniture can be disassembled. This allowed foreigners to take carved furniture home compactly. First, woodworkers carefully select the lumber, cutting and assembling the furniture. Then, carvers design and execute the characteristic motifs. Finally, lacquerers apply the finishing touches.

“Applying color to the cherry blossom petals is a unique Osakaya technique. Our lacquerers judge how the base wood affects color, and carefully add gradients to each blossom. This was developed by a previous generation and was once rare—perhaps only 5% of Karuizawa carving. Today, it’s fully established,” says Tsuchiya.

In addition to traditional furniture, Osakaya’s showroom features smaller items crafted by young artisans—chopsticks, hand mirrors, trays, vases, and photo frames.

After an era of serving foreign clients, the shop also produced furniture and accessories for Japanese households. “In the past, brides brought carved tansu chests as dowry. These were lavishly decorated with cherry blossoms. Today, many of those chests are returning to us. We buy back and repair Karuizawa carving—shaving, refinishing, and reviving them. But such large chests no longer fit modern homes,” says Tsuchiya.

Now, the mainstay of Osakaya is Karuizawa-carved Buddhist altars (butsudan). Sizes vary widely—mini altars can be as small as W36×D20×H30 cm, compact enough for even tiny apartments. Yet when closed, the doors’ cherry blossom or grape carvings form a continuous picture, blending seamlessly into modern interiors.

“People today prefer less altar-like designs. Cherry blossoms resonate deeply with the Japanese spirit, and fit perfectly on a butsudan. Some say, ‘I can’t forget the cherry blossoms I once saw with the deceased.’ For the past decade, half of our workdays are spent making altars.”

Tsuchiya entered the family trade after working in home sales. “A house is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, but a butsudan carries even stronger feelings, tied to generations of ancestors. Our job is to give form to those feelings.” To communicate with customers, he uses not only words but also detailed drawings.

Today’s preference for simplicity makes design more difficult—beauty must be achieved through subtraction. “We’ve been here for over 130 years in Karuizawa, a small town steeped in villa culture. While that culture may be fading, the unique spirit of Karuizawa still underlies our work.”

From ornate villa furnishings to bridal chests to today’s minimalist altars, Karuizawa carving has adapted to the times. Yet every carving still embodies unchanged human sentiments.