Low Chair model "Odakyu Cushion"
Manufactured by Sakura Seisakusho
Japan, ca. 1968
Walnut

Measurements
71 x 81 x 73h cm
27,9 x 31,9 x 28,7h in

Provenance
Private collection

Details
Named after the Odakyu Department Store’s “Hulk Annex,” which first introduced George Nakashima’s furniture to Japan in 1968.
This example has been maintained by Sakura Seisakusho, Nakashima’s longtime Japanese manufacturer and collaborator.

Literature
Sakura Seisakusho Catalogue, 1968 edition

About
The Odakyu Cushion Chair represents a refined synthesis of traditional Japanese sensibility and modern craftsmanship. Designed by George Nakashima in the late 1960s, the chair was named in honor of the Odakyu Department Store, which first exhibited his work in Japan. Its low, generous proportions invite a grounded mode of sitting aligned with Japanese domestic culture, while the pure walnut structure and subtle joinery reflect Nakashima’s deep reverence for the natural life of wood. Combining serenity, material honesty, and modern form, the Odakyu Cushion Chair embodies Nakashima’s belief that furniture could serve as a spiritual bridge between humanity and nature.

Biography
George Nakashima (1905–1990) was a master woodworker, architect, and one of the leading figures of 20th-century studio furniture design. Born in Spokane, Washington, Nakashima studied architecture at the University of Washington and later earned a master’s degree from MIT. After travels in France, India, and Japan, he developed a design philosophy that united Eastern spirituality with modernist precision.
During World War II, Nakashima was interned in Idaho, where he met a Japanese carpenter who taught him traditional hand-tool techniques—an experience that deeply shaped his practice. After the war, he established his studio in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where he crafted one-of-a-kind pieces from solid slabs of wood, emphasizing natural edges, visible joinery, and organic imperfection.
His collaboration with Japan’s Sakura Seisakusho from the late 1960s helped bring his designs to a wider international audience. Nakashima’s works are held in major museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution. His legacy continues through the Nakashima Woodworkers studio, now directed by his daughter, Mira Nakashima.