Over the past couple of years I’ve really enjoyed learning about different kumiko patterns used in Shoji screens. I’ve been learning how to make many of the different patterns, and have been exploring how to incorporate them into other pieces of furniture besides Shoji screens. So recently I built a coffee table out of black locust and thought it would be fun to incorporate some kind of geometric kumiko pattern. After looking at a lot of different traditional patterns and also playing around with some designs of my own, I decided to go with something traditional called the asa-no-ha pattern. The asa-no-ha is a really old pattern that has been used all over Japan on everything from woodwork, paper, weaving, and textiles. Making it requires first creating a grid of squares out of thin kumiko strips (made of Alaskan yellow cedar). Then the squares are filled in with smaller pieces that are cut like puzzle pieces and fitted together to form the asa-no-ha pattern. On the completed table there is a piece of glass (not pictured) that will sit on top of kumiko strip running down the middle.
