Nokutie in natural wood color. Materials with particularly beautiful patterns are carefully chosen (in Takayama-shi, Gifu Prefecture)
Kotaro Yamada
In Takayama-shi, Gifu Prefecture, wood ties created by a craftsman at a local carpentry shop, TS Sangyo, are drawing attention. The wearable wooden product is named “Nokutie.” It’s planned to go on sale by the end of November 2015 after some final tuning.
Nokutie has five parts which are held together by a cord that runs through the parts. The cord is then tied to an elastic cord that goes around the shirt collar. It comes in 10 different locally-grown timbers including cherry wood, maple, chestnut and oak. The parts for one Nokutie are cut out of one piece of wood. This way, wood grain patterns are used effectively to make each tie unique and original. Nokutie measures 295mm in length, 78mm in width and 9 to 18mm in thickness and has a three-dimensional shape like a cloth tie but it’s thin and lightweight.
Its pricing starts from JPY 10,800. “The wooden ties will bring a touch of warmth to your office,” said Hideo Shiotani, 44, head of the company.
(Nov. 22, 2015)