UBUNJI KIDOKORO | Armchair

Private collection, Japan
Acquired from the above by the present owner

'Mostra d'arte in Giappone', domus, no. 269 April 1952, p. 41
Mary McLeod, ed., CHARLOTTE PERRIAND: An Art of Living, New York, 2003, p. 105, figs 18, 20 for a related example

Overall good condition. The outer frame with rubbing, scuffs, scratches and shallow indentations. The layered bamboo ply with minor hairline cracks and seam separations visible on the outer edges of the armrests, upper left and right corners of the backrest and lower left and right corners of the base. The rear proper left section of the backrest with gentle fading. The varnish with craquelure throughout. The supporting bamboo strips with minor scattered chips and hairline cracks concentrated to the edges, the front bends and where the rivets join to the frame. Two bamboo strips have been sensitively repaired near the bends and appear stable. The second rivet from proper left on the lower front row has been replaced. The lower rear sections at the back of the chair have been repaired and stabilised with additional bamboo strips. One strip in the same area with a hairline crack running horizontally. An important and influential design in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

At the suggestion of a young Sori Yanagi, the son of Soetsu Yanagi, founder of the Mingei (folk crafts) movement, Charlotte Perriand was invited by the Department of Trade Promotion under the Imperial Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Japan in 1940. Her official role was to act as consultant and advisor, aiding in the discovery of new and innovative ways to promote Japanese furniture to the West. Throughout her travels in Japan, she visited with local craftsmen, most notably at the Seccho research centre in the Tōhoku region which focused on designs using materials including rush, straw and bamboo. Inspired by her surroundings and the work of regional designers, Perriand used these materials as a creative springboard. Selections of her findings, local Mingei works as well as her own designs were exhibited together in 1941 at the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo. The present model was designed by Ubunji Kidokoro while he was working for the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo, three years before Perriand’s arrival. Kidokoro’s example reflects Alvar Aalto’s cantilevered armchair, model no. 31, designed in 1931, tracing the influence of western design in Japan prior to Perriand’s visit. Perriand was aware of Kidokoro’s chair and used his example as inspiration for her own designs.