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Arashi Abe, an artist and designer living and working in Kumamoto, Japan, designed and created the Take Higo stool using a traditional Japanese assembly technique.
“I was interested in the material charm and potential of Take Higo and started this project. Take Higo is a material made of bamboo sticks produced by splitting bamboo into thin strips, and its delicate shapes and beautiful textures have captivated many Japanese people, so it is often used as a material for folk crafts and traditional toys.”
In Arashi Abe, we perceive a deep interest in designing that reconnects with Japanese tradition but also a strong ecological awareness, urging the use of bamboo because forests of this invasive plant are neglected and are encroaching on surrounding ones, reducing biodiversity and increasing the risk of landslides.
The designer also makes an interesting point because, using the fragile-looking Take Higo, he has created a sturdy structure that can support the weight of people like any robust chair. Like a confirmation of the famous proverb “unity is strength,” the assembly of these thin strips makes the stool stable on one hand, thanks to their ability to collaborate, but on the other hand also fascinating for its transparent shape, which changes depending on the viewing angle, so the light can filter through, always creating new perspectives.
Detailed information follows about the materials – easily available in hardware and stationery stores in Japan and environmentally friendly – and the assembly process. All listed with precision and, since no special tools or techniques are needed to create the stool, each of us could build our own Take Higo Stool!
We discover that Take Higo must have a diameter between 3.0 mm and 1.8 mm, then you need hemp twine, water-based wood glue, and water. The structure is made using 399 Take Higo of 3.0 mm diameter and 252 Take Higo of 1.8 mm diameter; the 399 intersections of Take Higo are tightly bound with hemp twine dipped in water-based wood glue so that when the glue dries, the Take Higo remains firmly united. Take Higo Stool weighs only 945 grams!
In 2019, Arashi Abe graduated in Design from Sapporo City University, specializing in Spatial Design, and in 2022, he obtained a Master’s degree in Design, also from Sapporo City University, specializing in Spatial design for Human Life.
