Maruni
Maruni Wood Industry is a Japanese wooden furniture manufacturer — founded in 1928 as Shōwa Mageki Kojo (Shōwa Bentwood Factory) by Takeo Yamanaka, a mechanical engineer who grew up on the craft island of Miyajima (Hiroshima Prefecture) fascinated by the properties of wood. 1933 renamed Maruni Wood Industry Inc. Guiding principle since the founding: "Industrialized Craftsmanship" — the balance between craft tradition and industrial manufacturing precision. Maruni was one of the first Japanese companies to manufacture high-quality furniture in the spirit of industrial mass production with division of labour while maintaining the highest quality. Today Hiroshi Yamanaka (grandson of the founder) leads the company as president.
Design milestones: 2004–2008: "nextmaruni" project (12 international designers under the concept of Masayuki Kurokawa — Japanese aesthetics for a Western audience). 2008: MARUNI COLLECTION launched with Naoto Fukasawa; Hiroshima series (debut Salone del Mobile 2009) — as if the chair were carved from a single piece of solid wood; expanded in 2024 with modular sofa and shelves. 2011: Jasper Morrison (Lightwood — expanded with sofa in 2024). Further collaborations: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (Osso 2011, Quindici), Cecilie Manz (Shoto Tables 2024), Sam Hecht/Kim Colin/Industrial Facility (Branca 2010, Radice), Konstantin Grcic (Medici 2013, Clerici 2015, Cugino 2019, Primo 2017), Leon Ransmeier (Chiaro). Maruni chairs and tables officially used at the G7 Summit Hiroshima 2023. Wood: beech, oak, maple, walnut — from sustainably managed forests.
For architects and interior designers seeking for luxury residential, premium hospitality, institutional and demanding international contract projects a wooden furniture manufacturer founded in Hiroshima (Japan) in 1928 by Takeo Yamanaka as a bentwood factory and today led by Hiroshi Yamanaka that with the guiding principle "Industrialized Craftsmanship", the MARUNI COLLECTION (from 2008 with Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic, Cecilie Manz), the Hiroshima Chair as a global icon piece, sustainable forestry and official use at the G7 Summit 2023 — Maruni chairs and tables stood at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in 2023: proof that "Industrialized Craftsmanship" since 1928 is the language with which Japan speaks wood as a global design medium.
Featured Brands
HNI Corporation (inkl. Steelcase)
Maruni
Maruni Wood Industry is a Japanese wooden furniture manufacturer — founded in 1928 as Shōwa Mageki Kojo (Shōwa Bentwood Factory) by Takeo Yamanaka, a mechanical engineer who grew up on the craft island of Miyajima (Hiroshima Prefecture) fascinated by the properties of wood. 1933 renamed Maruni Wood Industry Inc. Guiding principle since the founding: "Industrialized Craftsmanship" — the balance between craft tradition and industrial manufacturing precision. Maruni was one of the first Japanese companies to manufacture high-quality furniture in the spirit of industrial mass production with division of labour while maintaining the highest quality. Today Hiroshi Yamanaka (grandson of the founder) leads the company as president.
Design milestones: 2004–2008: "nextmaruni" project (12 international designers under the concept of Masayuki Kurokawa — Japanese aesthetics for a Western audience). 2008: MARUNI COLLECTION launched with Naoto Fukasawa; Hiroshima series (debut Salone del Mobile 2009) — as if the chair were carved from a single piece of solid wood; expanded in 2024 with modular sofa and shelves. 2011: Jasper Morrison (Lightwood — expanded with sofa in 2024). Further collaborations: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (Osso 2011, Quindici), Cecilie Manz (Shoto Tables 2024), Sam Hecht/Kim Colin/Industrial Facility (Branca 2010, Radice), Konstantin Grcic (Medici 2013, Clerici 2015, Cugino 2019, Primo 2017), Leon Ransmeier (Chiaro). Maruni chairs and tables officially used at the G7 Summit Hiroshima 2023. Wood: beech, oak, maple, walnut — from sustainably managed forests.
For architects and interior designers seeking for luxury residential, premium hospitality, institutional and demanding international contract projects a wooden furniture manufacturer founded in Hiroshima (Japan) in 1928 by Takeo Yamanaka as a bentwood factory and today led by Hiroshi Yamanaka that with the guiding principle "Industrialized Craftsmanship", the MARUNI COLLECTION (from 2008 with Naoto Fukasawa, Jasper Morrison, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic, Cecilie Manz), the Hiroshima Chair as a global icon piece, sustainable forestry and official use at the G7 Summit 2023 — Maruni chairs and tables stood at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in 2023: proof that "Industrialized Craftsmanship" since 1928 is the language with which Japan speaks wood as a global design medium.