COLORS Real Wood Case collection - Shunkei Red

COLORS lacquered Shunkei Red (春慶漆) iPhone cases are made out of maple wood and they are by far my favourite ones. As usual, three variations are available - plain, carved with flat head knife and carved with U-shaped knife.

※Hida-Shunkei lacquer ware is a handcraft in the cities of Takayama and traditional Hida in Gifu Prefecture. The origin of this craft dates back to 1606. A head carpenter, who was engaged in building temples and shrines in the castle town of Takayama, happened to discover beautiful straight grains, when he chopped a piece of sawara cypress wood apart. He made it into a tray and lacquered the surface. Because the coloring of this tray resembled "Hishunkei," a famous tea ceremony tea jar made by master potter, Kato Kagemasa, the name Shunkei was given to this lacquer ware. What makes Hida Shunkei lacquer ware so special is the way that the beauty of the surface of the wood is brought out by the application of a transparent coating of lacquer.

When exposed to the light, the natural grains glow through the transparent lacquer. The more it is used, the more gloss it takes on. Hida Shunkei is extremely appealing and robust form of lacquer ware. 

COLORS Real Wood Case collection - Natural Indigo Dye

So, it's time for even more cases made by COLORS! The Real Wood Case collection includes also six cases using Natural Indigo Dye (本藍染矢野工場), a traditional natural dyeing technique from Japan. Two dye colours are available, blue and black, and you can have a plain one, or a carved with flat head knife / U-shaped knife. 

※Popular in Japan long time ago for children's underwear, the indigo dye was traditionally used for its distinctive shine and for its colors, not imparting easily on other clothes. Since ancient times, the indigo leaf has also been said to be effective as insect repellent and for detoxification.

Usually only used for cloth, the indigo dye has been used to create this special edition of the Real Wood case.

The raw material to create the Awa indigo, the "dyer's knotweed",is an annual plant that has been cultivated mainly in fields or basins of the Yoshino River in Tokushima today.

The process to create the dye is traditional and takes 100 days to complete. The indigo leaves (Sukumo) are dissolved with wood ashes in big tanks and fermented with potatoes, lime, wheat bran and alcohol. With its 4 seasons, Japan is the only country able to produce the dye all year long.

The "Real Wood Case Natural Indigo dye" is produced at the "Indigo dye Yano" factory in Awa, using this special traditional technique.

The dyer's knotweed was prohibited during World War due to the need to relocate the resources to increase food production.

The flower being annual, the 1200 years story of the Japanese dye could have stopped then. However, Heisuke Sato, 17th generation dyer, escaped from the military police and kept cultivating the dyer's knotweed secretly in the mountain, allowing the technique to survive. There are only 4 farmers in Awa, producing sukumo now.

The Sato indigo factory is the one used to create the Real Wood Case Natural Indigo dye, as providing the best quality of flowers and technique, ensuring a perfect color to our products. 

COLORS Layered Solid Wood Case collection

COLORS, aside from the Real Wood Cases ouf of a single type of wood, produces also some beautiful cases made out of layered solid wood.

Layered Solid Wood is a stunning collection of cases mixing maple and walnut. A case can include between 3 to 5 layers of wood depending on the model. 

The available variations available include:

5 layered solid wood Walnut/Maple - 5 layers carved with flat head knife

5 layered solid wood Walnut/Maple - 5 layers carved with U-shaped knife

5 layered solid wood Walnut/Maple - 5 layers plain

5 layered solid wood Walnut/Maple - 3 layers plain

5 layered solid wood Maple/Walnut - 5 layers carved with flat head knife

5 layered solid wood Maple/Walnut - 5 layers carved with U-shaped knife

5 layered solid wood Maple/Walnut - 5 layers plain

5 layered solid wood Maple/Walnut - 3 layers plain

COLORS Real Wood Case collection

COLORS is a Japanese company producing some of the best wooden cases available for the iPhone. The collection is the result of a sculpting technique called "Ittoh Bori", literary meaning "single knife carving", a traditional craft mastered by Japanese sculptors from Gifu-Takayama. 

The Real Wood Cases are carved with either a flat head knife (平刀一刀彫), or a U-shaped knife (丸刀一刀彫), and wood choices include Cherry (Sakura), Walnut (Kurumi), Yew (Ichii) and Maple (Kaede). The eight choices I just mentioned are just the uncoloured cases… and out of a single type of wood. COLORS is  also producing some even more luxurious cases, so stay tuned for more info!

※"Ichii" is a name of tree and also related to "Shoichii Title", the highest title given by emperor. Upon accession of the emperor about 800 years ago, the scepter (ladle) made from this "Ichii" tree was presented from Hida region to the emperor. Because it was more beautiful and high-quality than others made from different materials, it was given the highest "Shoichii Title."

Later, its academic name became formally "Ichii" and it is still used at the emperor accession.

Ichii Ittoh Bori carving is a woodcraft technique that involves carving yew wood using only chisels, and was developed by a netsuke master, Matsuda Sukenaga, who came from the Hida region of Gifu Prefecture about 200 years ago. Ichii Ittoh carving is characterized by a fine grain, because the growth rings of the yew are very fine. The wood is left uncolored in order to highlight this grain. A sculpture made from such precious wood, "Ichii" by a craftsman who puts his/her heart respectfully in each carve is called Ichii Ittoh Bori (One Knife Carving).