The theft of passion by neoliberalism
Do you believe in free will? According to the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart (MISTRA), our choices are heavily influenced by our environment rather than pure genetic destiny. Personally, I’m skeptical that “free will” even exists. We like to think we are rational captains of our souls, but in reality, we are likely nothing more than biological “vehicles” designed to carry our genes to the next generation. We are leaves blowing in the wind of market principles. This brings me to my grievance with neoliberalism. I don’t dislike it for its flawed logic; I dislike it because it steals things I love—specifically, the Morgan 4/4.
The Morgan 4/4 debuted in 1936 and survived with the same basic design for over 80 years. It was a rolling middle finger to the concept of planned obsolescence. However, in 2019, an Italian investment firm acquired Morgan, promising to “respect the heritage.” Naturally, their first order of business was to discontinue the 4/4. Apparently, “respecting heritage” is investment-speak for “deleting the soul to balance the spreadsheet.”
Ash wood vs. The spreadsheet
What made the Morgan 4/4 legendary wasn’t just its silhouette; it was its skeleton. The frame was partially made of ash wood. To a modern automotive engineer, using wood in a car frame sounds like madness. Wood is a chaotic material; its strength varies with grain direction, density, and knots. It’s a nightmare to standardize. Yet, Morgan mastered this for generations, using tenon joints and laminated curves to create a lightweight, flexible, and resilient structure.
Because Morgan mastered the unique characteristics of wood, I suspect that no two cars ever felt exactly the same on the road (this is just a guess, as I’ve never actually driven one). To own a Morgan was to have the “broad-mindedness” to embrace those inconsistencies as charm. It was a unique trade—a business model based on human character—that simply isn’t allowed in today’s market, which demands perfect uniformity for ease of management. We’ve lost yet another piece of our humanity to the altar of efficiency.
The new management claims they will keep the wood frame for other models, but I have my doubts. In a world obsessed with efficiency, a wooden car frame is an “outdated nuisance.” I fear that in the near future, the boardroom will conclude that wood is simply too “irrational” for the 21st century.
Today Morgan, tomorrow us
As a wooden furniture manufacturer, I can’t help but feel a chill. Is it “Today Morgan, tomorrow CondeHouse”? Traditional techniques are not gained in a day, but they can be extinguished in an afternoon by a single signature from an investor who has never touched a piece of raw timber.
We must be vigilant about the things we can never recover. Once the lineage of a specific woodworking technique is broken, it doesn’t just “go on hiatus”—it dies. At our factory in Asahikawa, we aren’t just making chairs; we are engaging in a stubborn act of rebellion against a market that wants everything to be made of soulless plastic and cold aluminum. We believe that if a car frame can be made of wood, then your life can be supported by it, too. We choose to stay “stuck in the past” because that’s where the soul of craftsmanship is hiding.
If the discontinuation of the Morgan 4/4 proves anything, it’s that the world is quick to discard “irrational” beauty in favor of efficiency. The Hatsune Miku Art Chair is our stubborn answer to that trend. It’s a fusion of a 21st-century digital icon and the very same woodworking traditions that once held legendary sports cars together. By choosing this chair, you aren’t just buying furniture; you are voting for the survival of the “unnecessary” craftsmanship that makes life worth living. Why settle for a soul-less mass-produced seat when you can own a piece of the rebellion?
Ready to see how we’re keeping the ‘irrational’ beauty alive? Click the banner below to explore the world where cutting-edge art meets the defiance of traditional craftsmanship.
Shungo Ijima
Global Connector | Reformed Bureaucrat | Professional Over-Thinker
After years of navigating the rigid hallways of Japan’s Ministry of Finance and surviving an MBA, he made a life-changing realization: spreadsheets are soulless, and wood has much better stories to tell.
Currently an Executive at CondeHouse, he travels the world decoding the “hidden DNA” of Japanese culture—though, in his travels, he’s becoming increasingly more skilled at decoding how to find the cheapest hotels than actual cultural mysteries.
He has a peculiar talent for finding deep philosophical meaning in things most people ignore as meaningless (and to be fair, they are often actually meaningless). He doesn’t just sell furniture; he’s on a mission to explain Japan to the world, one intellectually over-analyzed observation at a time. He writes for the curious, the skeptical, and anyone who suspects that a chair might actually be a manifesto in disguise.
Follow his journey as he bridges the gap between high-finance logic and the chaotic art of living!
Photo Credit: https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-official-pictures/morgan/44-electrogenic/