 Ichi-monji BenchGneiss boulder and black walnut slab. On display at Chamber gallery, NYC. |  Stone HuntingSearching for stones at Sticks and Stones Farm |
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 Stone HuntingSearching for stones at Sticks and Stones Farm |  PreparationsAdjusting the stone in the process of cutting the base |
 Working the StoneCutting the bottom off the stone. The raw bench slab waits in the foreground. |  InstallationSetting the stone in the gallery with a tripod and hoist. The finished piece weighs about 1200 lbs. |
 Ichi-monji BenchGneiss boulder and black walnut slab. On display at Chamber gallery, NYC. |  Ichi-monji BenchGneiss boulder and black walnut slab. On display at Chamber gallery, NYC. |
Ichi-monji Bench
一文字ベンチ
In Japan the word "ichi-monji" means the number one. Since the number one is written with a single horizontal brush-stroke, anything that has a single “stroke” in its design might be called a “ichi-monji” style object.
Crafted from a gneiss boulder and a graceful slab of black walnut wood, the Ichi-monji Bench represents a harmonious juxtaposition of two aesthetics: shin (真) the aesthetic of human perfection, and sō (草), the aesthetic of being in a natural state. The perfectly cut and finished slab of wood, and the weathered boulder that is left in its natural state.
On display at Chamber, NYC.
**click upper photo to enlarge