The ofuro is a deep wooden tub used for soaking, not washing up.
Japanese furniture celebrates functional elegance. Wood has traditionally been crafted into simple forms inspired by and used for practical purposes. From traditional chests that turned into staircases to contemporary chests that wave in a sinuous curve, fine furniture is crafted to be beautiful and to last. Lacquer and iron and brass fittings are a few of the embellishments you might find on a fine Japanese piece but the spare wood and graceful lines of some of the classic pieces typify Japanese style. Does this Spark an idea?
Tansu
Tansu are chests, and the highly polished wood used for tansu was first crafted to hold kimonos. Before Western fashions reached Japan, kimonos and other clothes were folded and slipped away out of sight in ishi-dansu. Smaller chests were convenient receptacles for the family's tea things. Cha-dansu, or tea chests, held tea cups and pots, dishes for traditional fruits, chopsticks and chopstick rests and other essentials for tea. Hako kaidan are large tansu built to serve both as steps to a higher level of the house and generous storage cabinets.
Kotatsu
Kotatsu are tables without chairs, low to the ground and covered with blankets. The tables are attached to electric heaters today but they used to be positioned over the sunken hearth fire. People sat at the table, placed their legs beneath it to keep warm and used the table surface for dining, writing or other pursuits. Kotatsu are still used today in traditional homes where a furnace or central heating isn't available.
Ofuro
The soaking tub or ofuro is a deep ritual bath that allows you to immerse yourself fully in warm or hot water. Tubs are made from aromatic, lemony hinoki wood or cedar, at least 22 inches deep, and typically rectangular with straight sides. The bather washes outside the tub with soap and water and uses the ofuro for a relaxing, therapeutic soak. Because everyone who uses the tub washes first, the bath can be enjoyed by several consecutive bathers, conserving heating energy and water. The tub is usually surrounded by wood floor mats. Accessories include wooden washing stools and a bucket for the pre-wash. Ofuro are custom-designed as polygons, cylinders or ovals.
Contemporary Custom Designs
Japanese artists continue to imagine new ways to craft fine wooden furniture meant as heirloom pieces. Shiro Kuramata was a legendary 20th century minimalist who designed in modern plastics and synthetics as well as wood. His reinterpretation of a dresser and chest as a sinuous lacquered wood curve incorporates traditional Japanese design and a playful sense of irony. One curvy chest design has been endlessly copied by cabinetmakers in Western culture. The chest is a tall, shallow S-shaped with multiple drawers and rolling casters for feet. Rather than disappear into the room, the chest becomes a focal point that works for storage as well.
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