On a woodworking compound in New Hope, Pa., stands a Dawn Redwood tree whose species was at one time considered to be extinct.

Loving the beauty of the tree and grieving its loss, one man sent all the way to China for a preserved seed specimen of this magnificent tree—he planted it, nurtured it, and being a spiritual man no doubt prayed over it.

Today this tree soars above everything around it, standing rare and timeless like the man who planted it some 35 years ago, George Nakashima, "designer, craftsman, and a man of peace." The tree is a metaphor of Nakashima's. life, an ode to grace and beauty, a breathtaking example of the partnership between man and nature at its best.

In his lifetime, George Nakashima (1905-1990), an American-born Japanese descendant, received every conceivable award and honor for his woodworking craftsmanship and furniture designs. He was an internationally acclaimed artisan whose works are represented in the most important collections in the world, including the New York Metropolitan Museum, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo.

His work is unique and introspective, synonymous with his philosophy of life that nature was an art form in itself and needed only to be respected by the craftsman. Using the same discipline that nature used to produce the tree, Nakashima made his furniture articulate in design—reverent in his respect for the true nature of things. He embraced pure form using free form edges and selecting only the Finest of exotic woods, creating an element of movement and mystique.

"Ultimately the woodworker's responsibility is to the tree itself, which has been sacrificed to live again in the woodworker's hands," he said.

The term "form follows function" is tantamount to heresy in the Nakashima workshop. In fact, the opposite is true—the function of a piece of furniture would follow the form of the wood. A customer desiring a table would be introduced to the wood storage room, a room that in essence is like a standing forest—the trees, though cut, appear to be very much alive.

After selecting the tree, the table is designed in such a way as to preserve the integrity of the tree, respecting its naturally chosen form, color and character. In this way, Nakashima believed that the tree was given a second life.

Craft Devotees
The Nakashima woodworking concern was never a one-man operation. George Nakashima employed some of the world's finest craftsmen who remain devoted to the man and his ideas and are still working at his studio. Nakashima's daughter, Mira, who holds a master's degree in architecture, collaborated with her father on many of his designs. The two worked closely together and Nakashima relied heavily on her after his stroke in 1989. In spite of this, at the time of his death, the reality remained that the Nakashima woodworking concern was associated with one man, and one man only.

Following his death, business fell off dramatically, which is ironic because Nakashima himself led a lifelong crusade against ego and self glorification. He believed in the whole more than the individual—his great love was for the Cathedral Chartres because it was built by so many, so diverse in origin and culture.

Recently, however, there has been a clamoring for Nakashima designs. The resurgence of interest in the Nakashima workshop and these earthy pieces can perhaps be explained by an undercurrent of disillusionment with the manufactured way of life. Modern man has lost touch with nature and the best part of himself. Mass production has fulfilled certain needs but it has left a void in personal expression and creativity. Great craftsman are as rare as the great trees with which they work. In Nakashima's own words, "We are presently at the lowest ebb of design excellence that the world has seen since the 13th century when every hinge was a masterpiece."

When Robert Friedlander, a friend and client of George Nakashima's, was asked what appealed to him about the furniture, he stated, "I never cared much about furniture, it was my wife Dorothy's concern, until I went into a home that had a Nakashima table. You could see that it was not only made by hand, it was made by a person."

Another person answered, "It's the life of the wood—the richness of the black walnut, the gnarling of the burl that I find so grounding. In such a chaotic world, its so calming."

Or perhaps the explanation for the new demand has not so much to do with George Nakashima's furniture but with the philosophy behind it. In the 1980s, he had a dream to offer each continent a Table of Peace where nations could meet to promote peace on earth. It was a dream inspired by a massive walnut tree measuring seven feet wide and 12 feet tall—the largest the artist had ever seen.

Peace Table Emerges
According to Nakashima, "In a still small voice, the tree asked to be realized. It will be a symbol, a token of man's aspiration of a creative and beautiful peace—free of political overtones, an expression of man's love for his fellow man."

The first Peace Table was dedicated at the Cathedral of St.John the Divine in New York City on New Year's Eve in 1986. It was blessed by representatives of all religions before an audience of diplomats from all countries. It was made from a 300 year old black walnut tree, cut through and through, the two book matched pieces joined in the center revealing the growth pattern of the tree. Standing in front of the Peace Table, experiencing its mass, witnessing the patterns of its growth is humbling. Its 300 years lay before you in serenity; it is indeed a call for peace and one is comforted by the awareness that the Nakashima message is alive and well and thriving in a town fittingly called New Hope in Pennsylvania where it all began over 50 years ago.

Mira Nakashima-Yarnell carries on her father's legacy. In her own words, "It is hard to see where my father's designs end and mine begin." A master in her own right, she is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University, and holds a master's degree in architecture from Waseda University in Tokyo.

She will be lecturing and presenting a slide show on Nakashima furniture at the Dawson's Gallery at 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 15 in preparation for Dawson's Sept. 21 auction, which will feature an important collection of early Nakashima furniture. An exhibition of the Nakashima furniture is planned. For reservations and information call (201) 984-6900.

Quotes from this article have been taken from "Full Circle" byD.E. Ostergard and from publica-tions from the Nakashima Wood-working Studio.