Sato Mokko: Mai (Dance) Sofa Table

Mai (Dance) Sofa Table

Delivery: 7 months

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The work will be personally installed by the artist, ensuring that it is assembled and presented exactly as intended.

A Monumental Expression of Stillness and Movement

Overview

Mai (Dance) is a monumental sculptural work that brings together the disciplines of traditional Japanese woodworking, woodcarving, urushi lacquer, gold-leaf decoration, and architectural construction. At its center is the phoenix, an auspicious and sacred motif whose dynamic presence is set against the profound stillness of purple lacquer.

Rather than reproducing traditional ornament in a conventional form, the work reinterprets the visual and structural language of Japanese craftsmanship as contemporary sculpture. Across its expansive three-dimensional surface, golden phoenixes appear to move through an environment of deep purple, creating a composition in which movement and stillness, brilliance and restraint, exist in deliberate balance.

Materiality & Craftsmanship

The work is constructed in wood and finished in purple urushi lacquer, with vermilion urushi defining the central section of its upper surface. Purple, historically associated in Japan with dignity and elevated status, gives the sculpture an extraordinary visual depth. Against this restrained field, elaborate phoenix carvings covered in pure gold leaf emerge with striking luminosity. Light moving across the lacquer and gold continually alters the appearance of the surface, allowing the work to shift between quiet contemplation and dramatic intensity.

At the center of the upper plane, a pair of phoenixes circles within an octagonal composition framed in gold and vermilion lacquer. From this focal point, intricate carving and interlocking structural elements extend around the sides of the work. Conceived to be experienced in the round, the sculpture reveals different patterns of shadow, depth, and ornament as the viewer moves around it.

Tradition Reimagined

Underlying the sculpture is the structural vocabulary of traditional Japanese shrine and temple architecture. Its interlocking kumimono construction recalls architectural systems developed not merely for decoration, but to create strength, rhythm, and spatial order. Here, that inherited language is removed from its original architectural function and transformed into an autonomous sculptural form.

The phoenix further deepens this dialogue between tradition and transformation. Through the contrast of its energetic golden form with the contemplative depth of purple lacquer, Mai gives physical expression to the work's central theme: the harmony between the vitality of life and profound stillness.

Neither simply an object of traditional craft nor purely an exercise in contemporary sculpture, Mai occupies the space between the two. It preserves the discipline and material sensitivity of Japanese craftsmanship while allowing those traditions to assume a new scale and presence within the contemporary exhibition space.

 Artist

Executed entirely by Kenichiro Sato (Tsuru City, Yamanashi), the work reflects a practice grounded in both traditional discipline and contemporary inquiry. Following the loss of his workshop to fire in 2023, Sato has pursued a renewed commitment: to reposition Japanese craft within a global contemporary art context.

Statement

Neither solely furniture nor purely sculpture, the Masugumi Sofa Table occupies a liminal space between utility and art. It asserts itself not merely as an object within a room, but as a work capable of redefining the spatial and cultural atmosphere it inhabits.

A singular piece—imbued with presence, precision, and enduring resonance.

Main Body

Dimensions: H 550 × W 1,330 × D 1,330 mm
Weight:
Materials: Wood, Purple Urushi Lacquer, Vermilion Urushi Lacquer, Pure Gold Leaf
Classification: Three-Dimensional Work / Woodcarving and Lacquer Art

Artist’s Profile

Master Artisan of Contemporary Japanese Furniture
Third-Generation Head of Sato Mokko

Born into the distinguished Sato Mokko workshop—founded in 1934 in Tsuru City, Yamanashi Prefecture—Keiichiro Sato is the third-generation heir to a lineage long revered for exceptional craftsmanship. Once known locally by the saying, “For bridal furnishings, go to Sato Mokko,” the atelier built its reputation through refined heirloom furniture and traditional architectural woodwork.

From an early age, Sato absorbed the discipline of master craftsmanship under the guidance of his grandfather, Zenjuro. He inherited techniques rooted in shrine and temple architecture, including intricate kumiko latticework, complex structural joinery, and precision cabinetry—foundations that would later define his artistic language.

At seventeen, he encountered a defining turning point when the family business faced severe financial hardship under the second generation. Taking on responsibility at a young age, Sato sustained traditional commissions while simultaneously pursuing an independent vision—one that would unite heritage craftsmanship with contemporary form.

Guided by the belief that true craftsmanship is timeless, Sato established his signature genre of Creative Japanese Furniture: works that combine rare solid Japanese zelkova, authentic urushi lacquer, gold leaf, and centuries-old techniques with a bold contemporary sensibility. His creations transcend conventional furniture, emerging instead as collectible works of functional art that embody the Japanese ideal of beauty through utility.

In recent years, his work has received recognition both in Japan and internationally. Exhibitions include the Paris International Salon (recommended invitation), the Cartago Museum in Costa Rica (presented at the request of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs), exhibitions in Dalian, China, and selection for the Japan–France Contemporary Art World Exhibition for his work TAMATEBAKO. His works have also been presented at The National Art Center, Tokyo, alongside numerous museum exhibitions, solo shows, and publications.

In 2023, a devastating fire destroyed his factory, showroom, tools, and materials accumulated over decades. Yet within only seven months, Sato resumed production—an act that reflects the resilience and uncompromising spirit that define master artisanship.

Today, Keiichiro Sato continues to shape wood in pursuit of works intended to endure not merely for a lifetime, but for generations—objects of substance, beauty, and permanence, created with a view toward the centuries ahead.