The Collection
A First Look
A preview of works from the collection we are preparing with the master carvers of Inami. If a piece speaks to you, write to us; we are glad to share more while the collection is finalised.
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Nobuo Taniguchi
Hometown
故郷
The moment you step out of the house, you can see the mountains of your hometown; Taniguchi imagined that landscape on the surface of the box. Lift the top and there is a box of sen (Japanese ash) inside, made to hold a bottle of wine or whisky.
- Woods
- Zelkova and cypress
- Size
- 23.5 × 38 × 17 cm (9¼ × 15 × 6¾ in)
The carverNobuo TaniguchiSon of Sōun Taniguchi. Twice a Special Selection at Nitten, and a juror in 2026.Read his storyInquire about this piece
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Nambu Hakuun III
The Bridge Between Japan and the United States
Commissioned by Poiesis to mark Inami woodcarving’s journey across the United States in 2025. Nambu Hakuun III blended the motifs of the two countries: Mount Fuji and a cherry tree, the Golden Gate Bridge, the White House and an eagle.
- Technique
- Openwork relief, carved by hand
- Size
- Roughly 80 × 40 cm (31½ × 15¾ in), 5.5 cm (2¼ in) deep
- Made
- Inami, 2025
The carverNambu Hakuun IIIThird generation of his family’s workshop, which turned 130 in 2025.Read his storyInquire about this piece
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Nobuhisa Tsuchida
Blue Dragon
青龍
A single dragon faces the rough waves and rises to heaven. The colour is lacquer, studded with gold leaf; the bell at its heart was cast by the lost-wax method.
- Materials
- Zelkova, lacquer and gold leaf; bronze bell
- Size
- 40 × 55 × 18 cm (15¾ × 21¾ × 7 in)
The carverNobuhisa TsuchidaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Saburo Aoyama
Karajishi
唐獅子
The king of beasts, the lion, carved in deep relief.
- Wood
- Tabu
- Size
- 54 × 65 × 10 cm (21¼ × 25½ × 4 in)
The carverSaburo AoyamaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Saburo Aoyama
Early Spring
早春
Kobushi magnolia, the first flowers of spring, with a small bird, carved inside a round window.
- Wood
- Japanese cypress (hinoki)
- Size
- 45 × 45 × 5 cm (17¾ × 17¾ × 2 in)
The carverSaburo AoyamaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Nobuhisa Tsuchida
Flowers and Birds
花鳥図
Openwork in the manner of a ranma, the form from which Inami woodcarving grew. Tsuchida set out to show delicate carving and the play of space within the frame.
- Woods
- Camphor and jindai cedar
- Size
- 68 × 65 × 5 cm (26¾ × 25½ × 2 in)
The carverNobuhisa TsuchidaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Saburo Aoyama
Ofuku
御福
Ofuku, a figure of good fortune, carved with the wish that good fortune comes into daily life.
- Wood
- Kaya (Japanese nutmeg-yew)
- Size
- 20 × 15 × 15 cm (7¾ × 6 × 6 in)
The carverSaburo AoyamaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Mumon Sasakawa
Goddess of Fortune
吉祥天
Kisshōten, the goddess of good fortune, which Sasakawa has arranged in a modern style.
- Wood
- Camphor
- Size
- 70 × 20 × 20 cm (27½ × 7¾ × 7¾ in)
Nobuo Taniguchi
Life, Connecting
生命・つなぐ
The fruit of the paulownia: its flowers turn to fruit, and from the seeds new life is born. Opened to the left and right, it reveals a small white box carved in sen (Japanese ash), a place for small treasures.
- Size
- 61.5 × 38.5 × 27 cm (24¼ × 15¼ × 10¾ in)
The carverNobuo TaniguchiSon of Sōun Taniguchi. Twice a Special Selection at Nitten, and a juror in 2026.Read his storyInquire about this piece
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Masakazu Kimura
Affection
慈しみ
An orangutan mother and her child, given the natural warmth of the wood.
- Wood
- Ash (tamo)
- Size
- 133 × 70 × 7 cm (52¼ × 27½ × 2¾ in)
The carverMasakazu KimuraMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Masakazu Kimura
Space Flowers
宙華
A queen-of-the-night flower blooming in outer space.
- Wood
- Ash (tamo)
- Size
- 120 × 60 × 7 cm (47¼ × 23½ × 2¾ in)
The carverMasakazu KimuraMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Saburo Aoyama
Guardian of the Forest
森の番人
The owl, king of the forest, carved among pine branches.
- Materials
- Japanese cypress (hinoki), lacquer and gold
- Size
- 36 × 61 × 6 cm (14¼ × 24 × 2¼ in)
The carverSaburo AoyamaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
Mumon Sasakawa
Hawk Moth
スズメ蛾
A hawk moth in cherry. Sasakawa gave shape to the design of the moth, and to his own memories of it.
- Wood
- Cherry
- Size
- 50 × 45 × 6 cm (19¾ × 17¾ × 2¼ in)
Mumon Sasakawa
Brahmin Moth
イボタ蛾
A Brahmin moth in cherry, carved because Sasakawa was moved by the design of its wings.
- Wood
- Cherry
- Size
- 50 × 45 × 5 cm (19¾ × 17¾ × 2 in)
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Nobuo Taniguchi
Words of Clouds
雲のことば
Clouds drift from west to east and never keep the same shape twice; Taniguchi had long watched the sky, meaning one day to carve them. The two-tier box is lacquered red inside, so it can hold food.
- Materials
- Zelkova and lacquer
- Size
- 36 × 56 × 21.5 cm (14¼ × 22 × 8½ in)
The carverNobuo TaniguchiSon of Sōun Taniguchi. Twice a Special Selection at Nitten, and a juror in 2026.Read his storyInquire about this piece
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Nambu Hakuun III
Mount Hōrai
蓬莱山
Mount Hōrai, the mountain in the sea where, in East Asian legend, the immortals live: an image of paradise, and a deeply auspicious subject. The ornamental border was carved freehand into a slightly irregular oval, so that it feels soft rather than mechanical.
- Wood
- Mountain cherry
- Size
- 55 × 37.5 × 3.5 cm (21¾ × 14¾ × 1½ in)
The carverNambu Hakuun IIIThird generation of his family’s workshop, which turned 130 in 2025.Read his storyInquire about this piece
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Saburo Aoyama
Camellia
椿
The camellia, carved to express its elegant figure as it blooms in early spring.
- Wood
- Kaya (Japanese nutmeg-yew)
- Size
- 36 × 61 × 6 cm (14¼ × 24 × 2¼ in)
The carverSaburo AoyamaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Nobuhisa Tsuchida
Spring Breeze
春風
Peonies and small birds on a warm day. Tsuchida carved the gorgeousness of the flowers in openwork and heightened it with gold powder.
- Wood
- Camphor
- Size
- 110 × 63 × 24 cm (43¼ × 24¾ × 9½ in)
The carverNobuhisa TsuchidaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Masakazu Kimura
Poem of Many Flowers
百花の詩
Inami’s openwork carving, brought to an object made for modern spaces.
- Wood
- Ash (tamo)
- Size
- 145 × 50 × 20 cm (57 × 19¾ × 7¾ in)
The carverMasakazu KimuraMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this piece
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Nambu Hakuun III
Playful Cat
戯れ猫
A moment of a cat at play with a single cloth. It is carved fully in the round, even the underside no one sees once it is set down, lightly coloured, and finished with the chisel alone: no sandpaper was used.
- Wood
- Camphor
- Size
- 15.5 × 13 × 24.5 cm (6 × 5 × 9¾ in)
The carverNambu Hakuun IIIThird generation of his family’s workshop, which turned 130 in 2025.Read his storyInquire about this piece
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Saburo Aoyama
May Carp Streamer
五月のぼり
Made for Children’s Day, the fifth of May, with the wish that children grow up healthy.
- Wood
- Camphor
- Size
- 50 × 30 × 20 cm (19¾ × 11¾ × 7¾ in)
The carverSaburo AoyamaMaster woodcarver, Inami.Meet the master carversInquire about this pieceSomething Caught Your Eye?
Write to us about any piece, or about one made for you in the same spirit.
