Matsubaya Furniture Store, a 193-year-old establishment located near Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City, is opening a special exhibition of live-edge broadleaf tree slabs starting February 20, 2026. The exhibition showcases the store's unique approach to "furniture traceability," where every piece of wood is tracked from its source mountain to the finished product.
Where Does This Wood Come From?
"Cut fish swimming in the sea" might sound like a joke, but when it comes to furniture, few people know where the wood in mass-market tables actually originated. Which country? Which forest? Why was the tree cut down? These questions usually go unanswered.
Matsubaya Furniture Store is challenging this status quo. Their commitment to transparency isn't just about management—it's about responsibility to both the trees and the people who use them.
The "50km Radius" Project in Northern Nagano
Every beautiful live-edge table begins as a living organism, clinging to the earth with roots and soil. The logging sites are always filled with tension—the sharp sound of chainsaws, the roar of heavy machinery, and the ground-shaking moment when a giant tree falls. There's no room for romanticized "eco" ideals here, only a deep respect for the act of taking a life and transforming it.
"Why did this tree need to be cut down?" "What kind of place did it stand in?" The stories from these sites can only be understood by being there. The store brings these narratives back along with the wood.
Witnessing Life: The Frontline of Snowy Mountain Logging Where Furniture Makers Can Only Watch
Live-edge table slabs don't start in clean workshops—they begin in freezing snowy mountains.
Logging is life-threatening work. With snow underfoot and trees potentially falling in unexpected directions, even experienced loggers risk serious injury. At these tense sites, furniture store staff can do nothing. They stand in the safety zone, listening to the chainsaw sounds, almost praying.
Yet they go to these sites for a reason. When a giant tree crashes to the ground with a thunderous boom, they feel the weight of responsibility for having received this "life." Knowing "who struggled to cut this tree" and seeing the faces and sweat of the loggers means they cannot waste even the smallest piece of wood.
Current Project Examples
- Oak from Omachi City: Cleared for power transmission tower construction. Reborn as tables and counters.
- Mizunara from Hakuba Happo: Emergency logging due to oak wilt disease. Currently air-drying naturally.
- Chestnut from beside Kobayashi Issa's Former Residence in Shinano Town: Cut as part of maintenance work for the 200th anniversary of Issa's death, to protect the thatched roof. Milling scheduled soon.
- Enoki (Hackberry) from Owari Shrine in Nagano City: Witnessed logging on February 4, 2026 (Risshun/Beginning of Spring). Milling scheduled soon.
Exhibition Details: "Live-Edge Broadleaf Tree Slabs Grown in Japan"
The exhibition features trees that have undergone several years of natural drying, transformed into one-of-a-kind tables. The finish uses perilla oil cultivated in Kinasa, Nagano City—safe enough for small children to consume, a furniture piece made entirely from Nagano's bounty.
- Dates: February 20 (Fri) to March 22 (Sun), 2026
- Hours: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Closed: Tuesdays and Wednesdays (open on holidays)
- Venue: Matsubaya Furniture Store (45 Daimon-cho, Nagano City, near Zenkoji Temple)
- Admission: Free
Sibling Slabs from a Single Tree: A Magnificent Display of Three Tables from One Nagano Giant
In the world of live-edge slabs, few encounters are as luxurious as this. "Tomo-gi" (sibling wood) refers to adjacent boards cut from the same log.
Look closely—the grain patterns of these three tables respond to each other like puzzle pieces. The ripples in the right board continue into the middle board and flow into the left board. For decades, even centuries, these boards absorbed the same rain, endured the same wind, and looked up at the same sun as "one life."
Normally, milled boards are distributed separately and never reunited. But because Matsubaya witnesses the logging, mills the timber, and manages the drying process, they can keep these "siblings" together and display them side by side.
"A dining table and living room table from the same sibling tree"—this is perhaps the most luxurious way to welcome furniture into a home, and it's possible here.
Media Coverage Opportunities
For media professionals, the following coverage opportunities are available:
Milling Witness Sessions
Capture the "most dramatic moment" when raw logs of chestnut from Kobayashi Issa's former residence and hackberry from Owari Shrine transform from logs into boards.
The Moment of Truth: What Lies Hidden Inside
Milling is both the "moment of truth" and the biggest gamble when working with wood.
Even rough-looking logs can reveal breathtakingly beautiful patterns when cut, as shown in this photo. Or the center might be hollow—nobody knows until the blade goes through.
Look at this itaya maple in the photo. The complex brownish patterns running through the center might be considered "defects" in conventional markets seeking uniformity. But the store calls these "landscapes." This moment makes visible the drama of how this tree grew on steep slopes, twisted in wind and snow, and survived. This "moment when the interior is revealed" is the highlight of live-edge slab creation, and this coverage opportunity allows you to witness it.
Store Owner Interview
Why is this 193-year-old establishment now pursuing "local production for local consumption" and "furniture traceability"?
Store Photography
The historic storefront near Zenkoji Temple and the landscape of live-edge slabs filling the space.
Store Information
- Name: Matsubaya Furniture Store + Kurashi Dogu Gaku Research Institute
- Address: 45 Daimon-cho, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture 380-0841 (near Zenkoji Temple)
- Established: Tenpo Era (1833)
- Owner: Zengoro Takizawa
- Business: Solid wood furniture production and sales, Gabbeh sales, furniture repair and restoration
- Website: https://www.matubaya-kagu.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matubayakagu/
- Phone: 026-232-2346
- Owner's Mobile: 090-3905-6674
