Mikihiro

Hinoki Soken was established in 1993 by a group of Japanese skillful craftsmen to produce and sell Japanese wooden bathtubs.  The company is based in Nakatsugawa City on the Kiso River, which flows along the border between Gifu and Nagano Prefectures.  The region has long been renowned for the Kiso Goboku, five designated species of trees that hold cultural and religious significance in Japan. During the feudal era in Japanese history, it was prohibited for Kiso trees to be cut by common people, with their cutting reserved only for the residences and temples of the elite. Kiso timber was favored for government buildings and mansions of feudal lords during the Edo period.

Hinoki Soken’s craftsmen have specialized in wooden hinoki (cypress) bathtubs since the company’s establishment, designing and proposing products and spaces that convey the quality of natural materials, harmony, and healing for hotels, inns, resorts, residences, vacation homes, welfare and nursing care facilities, mainly in hot spring resorts throughout Japan.

Current president Mikihiro’s grandfather was a lumber miller. Later during the bubble era, when the culture of using bathtubs made of wood was in decline, Mikihiro’s father became the present head of the company, with the idea of improving the value of art and design, in order to create a culture of therapeutic relaxation.  When Mikihiro was around 20 years old, he became interested in contemporary art, which when incorporated into the designs of the bathtubs, would bring to them a higher degree of elegance. This has proven a successful strategy, as their baths have earned them numerous awards and media attention.

As a comprehensive planner for wood baths and bathrooms, Mikihiro aims to become a design and creative group that incorporates a sense of art into the manufacturing industry.  In order to make use of locally sourced wood and woodworking techniques that remain in the Kiso region, Soken strives to create products that are hand-crafted and have the feel of the craftsmen who shaped them, creating stories rather than just manufacturing things. The company consists of top craftsmen who have been working in the company for many years, and at the current time there are about 15 employees in the manufacturing department, ranging from teenagers to people in their sixties, who work by making the most of their individual strengths.

Mikihiro believe that Japanese oak and bath culture are uniquely Japanese, and wishes to communicate them to the world. This overseas business can lead to the revitalization of local communities.  At the same time, he believes that his mission is to transmit this precious heritage to the next generation in Japan.