Sen Table Lamp
Designed by Toshiyuki Tani
Sen means lines in Japanese, and the piece is made of little else: six hundred fine bamboo strips, gathered into curved arcs and set in two tiers around a central core. It is handcrafted in the traditional Suruga takesensuji craft - a technique of round, hair-fine bamboo, worked one strip at a time.
Standing on a surface, the open structure casts its lines in shadow across the table and wall behind it, making the shadows an active part of this piece.
Handcrafted in Japan by Toshiyuki Tani with bamboo masters.
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Sen is built from six hundred bamboo strips, worked in Suruga takesensuji zaiku, the bamboo craft of Shizuoka, whose name means "a thousand fine lines." It is a technique unlike other Japanese bamboo work in using round strips rather than flat ones, each split, bent and assembled by hand. A centuries-old craft, once used for insect cages and paper lanterns, it takes years to learn.
The name is directly reflected in the design of the lamp. Strips are gathered into curved arcs, each held between slim bamboo cross-pieces, and the arcs are set in two tiers around a straight central core. An ordered rhythm of line upon line. Nothing encloses it: with no shade or diffuser, light passes straight between the strips, so Sen draws as much shadow as it gives glow.
Lit, the bamboo takes up the light rather than blocking it: the fine strips glow amber against the darker air between them, so the whole structure reads as layered lines of light. Six hundred lines and nothing else - poetic simplicity, in its most literal form.
Sen invites the hand as much as the eye. The Suruga craft uses round strips rather than flat ones, a surface of fine, even ridges that is a pleasure to run a hand across.
As the bamboo ambers with use, the piece keeps a quiet record of the years it has been lived with.
Lit, that same structure throws its lines outward: a fine, shifting play of shadow across the ceiling and the walls nearby, changing as you move around it. Sen gives light and shadow in equal measure, the room becomes part of the piece.
Sen is made in Japan by Toshiyuki Tani together with bamboo masters. Its companion piece, Hokore, is made from nearly a thousand strips in the same craft.
Also available as a pendant.
- Handcrafted bamboo shade made of 600 fine round bamboo strips, split, bent and assembled by hand in the traditional Suruga takesensuji craft
- White textile cord (2 metres)
As a natural material, the bamboo will develop a traditional amber hue over time. When used in a room with high ventilation or with lots of sunlight, the amber color will appear sooner.
Each lamp may vary slightly in appearance. Colors shown on screen may vary slightly from the actual product.
- Width: 26 cm
- Height: 23 cm
- Depth: 26 cm
- Weight: 295 g
- In-line on/off switch with C-plug
- Type C power plug without dimmer
- Recommended bulb: clear, warm-white, around 800 lumens (equivalent to a traditional 60W bulb; roughly 7–9W as an LED). A clear bulb gives the crisp shadow the structure is made for. (not included)
Sen is shipped in a solid outer box.
Dust can be removed from the shade using a soft dry cloth or a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment.
The craftsmanship of
Suruga takesensuji
Suruga takesensuji is a heritage technique once used to make insect cages and paper lanterns in Japan. Each lamp in Tani's collection is built from nearly 1,000 bamboo strips, handcrafted together with masters who carry this knowledge in their hands.
Tani believes Japanese craftsmanship is defined by three qualities: delicacy, dexterity and persistence. His work is an act of preservation - not by keeping craft frozen in the past, but by bringing it forward into spaces where people can encounter it, live with it and come to care for it in a contemporary way.
Designed by
Toshiyuki Tani
A Japanese designer and craftsman, Toshiyuki Tani bridges centuries-old bamboo traditions and contemporary design. His work is defined by a deep reverence for natural form, the hands that shape it, and the light that moves through it.