Japanese Gardens Brush Holder

I previously mentioned that we will have a special brush holder for this Holiday 2024, and just like the Maki-e brush set, it is also inspired by Japanese gardens.

It’s fascinating to learn about the aesthetic principles and characteristics of Japanese gardens, and so interesting to try to translate an idea and an emotion into a real product that we can feel and touch. Today I will share what inspired us, and how we got to the final design.

I had some previous understanding of a Japanese Garden’s architecture. I knew what elements were important and why, I also had many clear memories of my visits. I started working on this project, and the more I learned about Japanese Gardens, the more I realized how huge and complex the subject was. I loved it so much.

The craftsmanship that we wanted to incorporate into this piece also brought a lot of complexity to the design- we had to work with the technical limitations linked to the woodworking techniques that we wanted to showcase. The more I was adapting the design, the more I was disconnecting from the piece and from what I wanted this artwork to communicate. It was becoming difficult to capture the aesthetics and at the same time convey a sense of serenity, of space.

We had reached the deadline and I didn’t have a final artwork that I was happy with, I really wanted to learn more and take more time.
I told Mr Iwata that I would continue working on it, but that it would not be for this year’s Holiday season.
The reaction of the artisans, Mr Iwata and his team, was so heart-warming. They told me how much they were looking forward to working on this brush holder for this holiday, they were very attached to this piece. They rearranged their schedule to allow us more time to reconsider all the constraints, all the ideas and together, we found a way to turn this idea into reality and create this final piece that we love so much.

THE INSPIRATION

Some of the main elements of a Japanese Garden typically include stones and rocks, water, plants (these can be trees, moss, etc) and paths. In the same way a painter captures the essence of a scene to convey feelings, rather than a facsimile of the scene, we had to select the main and important elements to convey our feelings. We don’t have a canvas where we can just do anything we want- we have technical and financial constraints as we are working with wood pieces and handcrafted techniques.

In addition to the elements that we can find in a Japanese Garden, there are also principles associated with the layout of a Japanese Garden. The principles that stood out to us the most for this artwork are simplicity, space, balanced asymmetry, and borrowed scenery.
The whole subject is so rich and interesting and after the research I did on this subject, along with all the conversations with Mr Iwata, a stroll in a Japanese garden has now become an even more meaningful experience.

For the Holiday Maki-e brush set, we wanted to showcase the stepping stones path as this is such an important element of a Japanese garden (and it is to me too). We are very limited in what we chose to apply with the maki-e because the design needs to fit in such a small narrow handle, but we could add a lit up lantern in the evening for the red touch, some leaves and ginkgo to complete our story. The moon is on the maki-e set and the brush holder.

For this brush holder, we had a larger canvas, so we wanted to convey a sense of space and serenity. Ponds, trees, and rocks were going to be the main features. Empty space is very important in a Japanese Garden, and in our case this is where the grain of the wood is going to take the spotlight and complete the artwork in its own unique way.

When strolling in a Japanese Garden, if it’s allowed, I will peacefully stand in places where I can observe each branch and each tree up close, and not only enjoy the views of the garden from a far.

I love to be close to the trees, feel the leaves and listen to all the sounds. It’s the most relaxing and comforting feeling.

For this design, I was mainly inspired by a recent visit to the Shukkeien Garden in Hiroshima.
If you want to plan a visit with a guide, they work with local guides who can show you around and explain everything about this garden.

Together with my husband and daughter, we love that when we are in Japan, in any city, there is always a garden we can have easy access to.

The concept of “borrowed scenery”

Borrowed scenery, or shakkei (借景), is a concept in Japanese garden design where the surrounding landscape, such as distant mountains, trees, or even a city skyline, is deliberately incorporated into the garden as part of its composition.

All the photos I share in this post are photos that I or my husband took, I could not find photos that would showcase mountains or other architectural elements in the background, but the idea is that we take a step back and we observe the garden from the distance, appreciating all of its composition.

When we were discussing this concept, Mr Iwata thought that the brushes placed in the brush holder would be the “borrowed scenery” of our artwork, a bit like trees, mountains or buildings in the background of a garden.

THE ARTWORK

We wanted this piece to express a sense of space, and depth, which are typical of a Japanese Garden, but also convey the emotions that we can feel when we are there, such as calm and serenity. I could spend hours immersed in a garden, I am not only calm and relaxed, but I am also filled with fascination and curiosity, there is so much to observe.

TYPES OF WOOD – For this piece, we worked with three different types of wood. We used walnut wood for the front and back panels, and also the little island, maple wood for the structure inside, for the big pond and for the moon, and wenge wood for the 3 rocks.
METHOD – The rocks, the two islands and the moon have been crafted using a combination of traditional techniques while combining various types of wood. The pine tree and the maple tree branch have been lasered onto the artwork.

THE DETAILS –

On its left, the artwork showcases a big pond with 3 rocks and a pine tree standing on the little island.

On the right, the moon is peeking through a maple tree branch.

The lasered pine tree and the maple tree branch add texture and interest without disrupting the beautiful wood composition.

The grain of the wood is going to make every piece look slightly different. The maple wood grain adds an interesting detail in the water of the pond, and also in the surface of the moon.

Texture is an important feature in a Japanese garden. We thought that it will be absolutely wonderful to use a particular wood that allowed us to play not only with the grain, but also with its texture.

We decided to use wenge wood for the rocks because of its colour and particular characteristics. Wenge is a very luxurious (and expensive) wood originating from Africa. It has a coarse texture and a straight grain.
Each one of these woods is going to play a role in the artwork and make each brush holder look different.

The craftsmanship of this artwork is exceptional, Mr Iwata completely turned this project into something so special and so detailed.

If you look closely, you can see that the rock in the center has a vertical grain while the two smaller rocks have a diagonal grain. Also, one of the smaller rocks is partially superimposed on the larger one.

I drew the shape of the rocks inspired by the Mt Fuji and two cranes, one is flying and one is standing at the base of Mt Fuji. This is a very personal interpretation, and I am just mentioning it because maybe you are wondering if they are meant to represent anything at all. When I shared this idea with Mr Iwata, he thought that it would be wonderful to play with the direction of the grain since wenge wood has such a straight and textured grain.

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITY

This brush holder is the same size and configuration as the previous Cranes over Mt. Fuji Act 2 Brush Holder. We were initially thinking of a smaller design but we knew the cost of this artwork would be very high, therefore, it made more sense to do it on a piece that had a larger capacity.

It measures 28.2 cm long, 8 cm high, and 6 cm wide. It has 5 compartments at the back to accommodate larger handles, and 5 thinner compartments in the front row for smaller/thinner handles. It comes with the usual alcantara protection at the bottom and an urethane coating for water and stain protection.
The capacity is of between 30-40 brushes, depending on the brushes’ handles.

We knew the cost of this piece would be higher than the previous versions and we wanted to make sure we also cater to customers who might want to have something special, but at a lower price point, so we are also bringing back a batch of the initial Cranes over Mt Fuji from 2020. Many of you only discovered our products recently and we have received many requests asking for that previous version. The Cranes over Mt Fuji from Holiday 2020 will be restocked towards the end of December 2024 (or if anything slows the logistics, early January), I will share exact dates once it’s confirmed.

PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

Since we have now worked on a few brush holders, I would like to take this opportunity to show you what other storage/display solutions we offer today, or have offered in the past.
All of the wooden brush holders shown below have been crafted by Mr Iwata and his team.

Link on Beautylish: WOODEN BRUSH HOLDER
Material: walnut wood
Permanent, 195 USD

A compact solution with sliding separators to optimize space and display a selection of brushes or make-up.

Link on Beautylish (soon available): CRANES OVER MOUNT FUJI
Material: walnut wood
Limited Edition for Holiday 2020, 195 USD
Will be back for a Limited restock around end December 2024 or early January 2025 depending on logistics.

One row brush holder for easy access and visibility.

Link on Beautylish: CRANES OVER MOUNT FUJI ACT 2
Material: walnut and maple wood
Limited Edition (sold out), 260 USD

The biggest brush holder with two rows of storage, one thin at the front and one thick at the back for larger handles.

The nylon option (the Portable Brush Holder) has been made in Japan, it’s sold out at this moment but will come back later this year or early January 2025.

Link on Beautylish: THE PORTABLE ORGANIZER
Material: nylon

A portable solution with removeable separators for make-up or brushes that can also be folded and easily carried in our luggage.

Permanent, 85 USD
Sold out at this moment, it’s currently in production

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

This Japanese Brush Holder will be available starting on December 10th, 2024, at 10am PT on Beautylish. It is a limited edition and will retail for 350 USD.

Thank you for your messages, for your love and your support since we started this brush holder journey, it is such an honour to work with Mr Iwata and all his team. A special holiday release is the opportunity for all of us to create something that takes more effort, more time and that we love so much. When we read your comments and feedback, it encourages us to continue and gives us this huge energy boost when we need it the most!

These projects are very small in quantity and extremely high in costs, we are not making them for profit, but to showcase and celebrate craftsmanship. We all hope that you love this piece as much as we do!