Tendo Mokko Vintage Furniture and Design

Tendo Mokko (天童木工, Tendo Mokko Co., Ltd.) was founded in 1940 in Tendo (Yamagata Prefecture, northern Japan) as a joinery collective and, after 1947, grew into the defining Japanese maker of moulded plywood and industrially produced solid-wood furniture. In the post-war years Tendo Mokko pioneered Japan's adoption of plywood pressing techniques (developed out of Aalto and Eames research) and brought them together with the traditional Japanese woodworking craft.

The best-known Tendo Mokko classic is the Butterfly Stool by Sori Yanagi (1954): a stool formed from two symmetrical pieces of moulded plywood that became a design icon of post-war Japanese modernism and won the gold medal at the 1957 Triennale di Milano. Today it is held in the permanent collections of MoMA New York and the Louvre. Other central Tendo Mokko classics are the Heron Chair (Junzo Sakakura), the Torii Stool (Riki Watanabe 1956), furniture by Isamu Kenmochi and Reiko Tanabe, and editions on which Charlotte Perriand collaborated during her stays in Japan. Materials include moulded Japanese plywood (birch, walnut, cherry, rosewood), solid wood and occasionally bamboo.

On the vintage market, original Tendo Mokko editions from the 1950s to 70s are especially sought after, above all early Butterfly Stool runs in rosewood or walnut. When you examine a piece, look for the branded Tendo Mokko mark on the underside of the seat (often with the model name in kanji and a date code), the characteristically precise plywood lamination without any layer separation, and the original lacquer or oil finish without aggressive re-treatment.

  • curation, selection and active search

    Every product you find on 2nd home comes from our curation & quality process . This includes our vintage Tendo Mokko Möbel und Design

    Our team is constantly looking for trends and new items to offer you high-quality vintage and second-hand goods and lots of inspiration.

    And if you are looking for something specific, you can contact us at any time.

  • Delivery

    At 2nd home you buy what already exists: our furniture , carpets ,

    Lights and decorative objects are available and ready to ship, with no production lead time as with new furniture. Another advantage when you buy vintage and second hand.

    For more information about shipping and delivery , see Returns & Refunds .

  • service

    At 2nd home we place great importance on quality and customer satisfaction. Sellers are selected by 2nd home, and every piece is described with its condition, dimensions and photos.

    If you have any questions, our customer service will help you You can find further information about our buyer protection, legal guarantee and right of return in our cancellation policy .

  • Pre-owned instead of new

    Every piece has already been made and stays in use; there is no new production.

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