Interviews with Tomoaki Kageyama
Designer profileDesign Interview
17 May 2025 · Sakura Cyclone Table
Inspired by “In Praise of Shadows” by the great Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki.
The goal was to produce furniture with a delicate Japanese sense of beauty that focuses not on light but on shadow.
I am aiming for mass production, but I have not yet found a partner, so I am looking for furniture manufacturers with whom we can collaborate.
Generating the idea did not take long, as I had always wanted to design the shape of the shadow.
However, the process of materializing the idea took a considerable amount of time.
However, the process of materializing the idea took a considerable amount of time.
This is an independent work. This work was produced as part of my research on bending wood.
We are planning to mass produce and sell our products and are looking for a furniture manufacturer to whom we can outsource the production. We are looking for an Italian furniture manufacturer.
I have always wanted to create furniture that expresses the ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms.
I like the works of Shiro Kuramata, who often designed light, but I, on the contrary, focused on shadows.
Currently, the low table is intended for use in homes, but I am also considering making it into a high table for use in cafes and restaurants.
I don't think there is any other furniture that focuses on the shape of falling shadows.
I named it “Sakura Cyclone Table” because its shape resembles Isamu Noguchi's Cyclone Table.
After hand-drawn sketches, the design was made in CAD.
As mentioned above, the most unique aspect of the design is the shape of the falling shadow.
Mr. Kuroda of Hidakuma, a wood consultant in Hida City, helped me a great deal during the testing and assembly stages of the bending wood.
I did not rely on technology. In an age of technology, I needed to dare to consider this by hand.
I valued actual experiences and inspections, not data or analytical surveys.
The hardest part was figuring out how to assemble the wood to create the desired shadow shape.
I entered this work for the A' Design Award because I thought it would be appreciated in Italy, a country where post-modernism has flourished.
I learned about the characteristics of wood and how interesting it is. I would like to continue to challenge myself to create new works using wood.
None in particular. Thank you very much.
Designer Interview
1 July 2025
I enrolled in a local public art university and studied product design. After that, I worked in the design department of a bicycle manufacturer, then in a design office, and now I work as a teacher at a university. I have enjoyed creating my toys and other products since I was a child, so it was natural for me to become a product designer.
It is a university established by the City of Nagoya with the philosophy of “fusion of art and engineering”.
I think it's an act of pursuing a more human life.
I like to create works that make people smile and are inspiring.
I was longing for Richard Zapper's Tizio as a student and have it now.
It's a bicycle.
Not necessarily as a material, but I love trees!
It's when I'm traveling and thinking about design and research.
What emotions will be felt by the people who see or use the designed product?
Basically, it's fun.
I feel happy to be alive.
I think it's about enjoying that work.
I consider whether or not the people who see or use the design will feel happy about it.
The role of designers is to improve society, so of course, we need to consider the environment as well.
As technology becomes more complex, I think design will become more important.
The latest bench I designed is now on display in the Osaka Health Care Pavilion at the Osaka Kansai Expo.
I draw inspiration from all aspects of my daily life. Especially important are the experiences while traveling.
I was born into a family full of laughter, which gave me a sense of design with joyful.
Japan is a country of wooden architecture, and few things will last for thousands of years like stone architecture in the West. It is precisely because we are surrounded by things that will one day disappear that the Japanese can create designs that are so delicate and varied.
At the university, I am conducting joint research with mobility manufacturers such as Toyota, Suzuki, and Yamaha.
Choosing a designer who enjoys designing will lead to good work!
I think it is basically the same as the general process, but I am always thinking of ideas, even when I am not working. And I enjoy that thinking. I think this is the key to good work.
One-piece walnut table, one-piece chair, Y chair, butterfly stool, bonsais.
In the morning, I water the bonsais, take my son to preschool, and go to the university. After work, I go home and have dinner with my wife and son. At night, I water the bonsais and go to bed with my wife and son. I love my wife, son, and bonsais.
Design is fun, so by all means, become a designer.
I believe that by creating something, we can lead an enjoyable life.
I think it's about having fun.
I think it is the love of creating something.
Adobe software and CAD is Rhino. I often get inspiration from comic books, movies, and novels. I also get ideas while tending to my garden.
The initial scheduling is very important.
Depending on the project, it can take as little as one month or as long as several years.
How do you generate ideas? I am often asked
The experience of designing various products at a design office is very useful now.
I am currently a university faculty member, so it’s my students and automobile manufacturers.
I get excited when I'm drawing final renderings.
I would like to mass-produce the Sakura Cyclone Table. Right now, I have not yet decided on a company to collaborate with, so I would like to find a good company.
The design itself is basically done by me.
In the Osaka Health Care Pavilion at the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025, there is a bench that I designed that absorbs CO2 and concentrates it back into plants. It is called "MOF bench.
My address is on the website of the School of Design and Architecture, Nagoya City University.
None in particular
Grand Interview
22 October 2025 · Sakura Cyclone Table
Shadows falling from objects are generally not considered. On the other hand, Tanizaki's “In Praise of Shadow” states that Japanese people have the feeling of finding beauty in shadows rather than in light. With this in mind, I attempted to express the ephemeral splendor of cherry blossoms using shadows. I chose a table, a piece of Western furniture, because I thought it would accentuate the Japanese sense of beauty.
It was challenging to achieve the desired angle at which the molded plywood was assembled to create the shadow of the cherry blossoms. I also fixed them with wires so that they could be adjusted.
"Imagination Margin" refers to the room where the user's thoughts can intervene when looking at or using the product. The Sakura Cyclone Table, which only appears in its original form at certain times, can be said to be equipped with “Imagination Margin”.
After sketching the idea, I produced several prototypes with a 3D printer. After that, I went to a plywood factory to discuss with a craftsman about producing the prototypes in wood. However, it turned out that it was difficult to produce the 3D printer model in wood, so we repeated trial and error many times after that. The project was completed in one year.
I received great support from Mr. Kuroda of the design office Hidakuma in Hida. The Sakura Cyclone Table was made possible by a molded plywood factory selected by Mr. Kuroda.
At first, I was thinking of a mechanism that would be supported only by hub bolts, but the shadows didn't fall in good shape. Then, inspired by Michele De Lucchi's “Tolomeo,” I came up with the idea of incorporating a wire adjustment mechanism.
In fact, I have had very little experience in furniture design since I have been designing mobility and home appliances. I think that is why I was able to create innovative furniture ideas.
The idea of having the furniture appear in its original form only at certain times was inspired by the Japanese values of enjoying seasonal scenery and events. Since the majority of furniture is universal, this idea may become a new approach.
Like many Japanese people, I love cherry blossoms. There are many design works using cherry blossoms as a motif, but I have felt that most of them do not capture the essence of the beauty of cherry blossoms. I believe that the essence of cherry blossoms is their ephemeral beauty, which blooms only a few days out of the year. I wanted to express that transience.
First of all, I would like to mass produce the Sakura Cyclone Table. Once mass-produced and in the hands of the public, I hope that this table will take root as a new approach to Japanese furniture design.
