Interview with Tokuhiko Kise of TRUCK Furniture
Tokuhiko Kise, owner and founder of Japanese furniture company TRUCK Furniture, has long been part of the OEN story. We first met him in London and continued that connection through the site, carrying publications from the workshop in the OEN shop.
As our interest in the handmade nature of design matured—particularly Japanese and Scandinavian craft—it felt natural to ask Tok about his company, his process and the life surrounding the workshop.
About TRUCK Furniture
TRUCK was founded in Osaka in 1997 by Tokuhiko Kise and Hiromi Karatsu. Its furniture is made for long use: simple, handcrafted and rooted in wood, leather and steel.
The studio’s home brings together TRUCK, AREA2, its workshop, Atelier Shirokumasha and Bird, the café where visitors can rest over coffee and food.
“With us, what you see is what you get.”
Firstly, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?
I’m Tokuhiko Kise. I run a furniture company in Osaka, Japan. It’s all designed by me and handmade by my staff in our workshop. It’s sold in our store, just upstairs from the workshop.
What was the original concept behind TRUCK Furniture, and how did you become a woodworker?
I’ve never really thought of it in terms of a concept, but I suppose you could say it’s making the things that I want to use. When I was 18 and had finished high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. By chance, I saw an article for a woodworking school in a magazine and decided to go along. I’d always liked making things and the idea of working with my hands appealed to me.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up at around six or seven. We have a lot of pets—seven cats and five dogs—so the first thing I do is look after them. My studio, workshop, store and Bird are all on the same site as my house, so I spend my day moving between them: drawing designs, looking over furniture as it’s made, or checking on things at the store. In the evening I swim, have dinner and usually read before bed.
What was the thinking behind Bird Coffee, and how does it add to the workshop and showroom?
My motivation was pretty simple. I wanted to make a place for our customers to sit and rest. I also wanted a place where I could go to drink coffee or wine myself.
Do you gather information from how customers use your furniture?
I sometimes see our pieces in magazines and read how people are using them. I’m glad to see that people who bought furniture from us use and live happily with them. I myself am one of the users—our strictest customer.
How have you kept TRUCK personal as it has become appreciated around the world?
With us, what you see is what you get. If you look at our store and our house, they look pretty much the same. We use the things we make every day. It’s not an image, it’s just us.
What do you enjoy most about Osaka?
I like the people in Osaka. We’re usually quite jokey when we talk, more than other areas in Japan, I think.
Have you always surrounded yourself with creative people, and how does that inform your work?
My wife and I both grew up in pretty ordinary families; both our fathers ran their own small businesses. It’s not so much that I try to surround myself with ‘creative’ people. I like people who are passionate about things, whether that’s furniture, food or motorcycles.
What interests do you have outside work?
There are too many to list: music, books, movies, surfing, swimming, bicycles, camping, guitar, piano, eating, drinking, trees, travel, oil painting, carpentry… There’s just so much.
How does travel inform your design?
Like Curious George, I’m always curious. The things I see abroad get filed away in my head. Sometimes I’ll see something that inspires, or is reflected in, something I make, but there’s really no process behind it.
How do you continue to develop a project you have worked on for such a long time?
I’ve always used the same approach when designing furniture: think of something I’d like to use, make a design, make a prototype, and keep making changes until it’s right. We’ve used the same approach for our shops, the restaurant and our books. It probably sounds a bit boring, but that’s what we’ve always done.
What are the biggest lessons you have learned while working independently?
I can’t really say I look back and think, ‘I should have done this’ or ‘I shouldn’t have done that’. I do wonder how things would be if I’d spent some time living in another country when I was younger. But I wouldn’t say it’s too late to do that now.
What did you learn from building your own house?
Be prepared for it to take a lot longer than you expect, and read as much as you can about different materials and construction techniques. The approach was the same as making furniture: I decided what I wanted and kept refining until I got there.
What can we expect from TRUCK Furniture in the future?
No big surprises or expansions. I’m working on a lot of new products for our next catalogue. That’s the main thing I’m concentrating on right now.
