The Tsutsumi family has been specializing in the making of urushi lacquer since 1909. Takuya Tsutsumi, the successor of the business, has been rethinking the use of Japanese lacquer “urushi”. Urushi is the natural resin collected from the lacquer tree, a plant native only to Asia. Refined into a coating...
Certified as a Living National treasure, Kinzaburo is an aging incense craftsman based in Sakai in the heart of Osaka prefecture. As a one-man operation, he spends his time producing and selling his incense sticks in a small studio-shop. Despair in the face of the near complete disappearance of his...
Nestled in the hills of Kyoto prefecture lies the village of Miyama, known mostly for its traditional thatched roof buildings and also for being the home of Hiroyuki Shindo and his prodigious work with indigo. Equal parts gallery, workshop, and residence, the Little Indigo Museum is more than meets the...
One of the staples of Japan known in western culture are paper lanterns, and for good reason. Paper lanterns bring a beautiful warmth, a sense of peace and safety to the atmosphere. That is difficult to achieve with common lightning. This is especially remarkable in the streets of Kyoto. A...
Built in the 1960s, the Aoyama Building has weathered some of the more swift-moving winds of modern history. The 13-story tower is planted on a block corner in Tokyo’s Minato ward, in a thicket of skyscrapers, parks, embassies, and palace grounds. In the 1970s, it housed the headquarters of the...
This year was the 4th year of the “Lexus New Takumi Project” where young crafts people across the country are challenged with creating the “next-generation traditional crafts”. 150 young crafts people and designers participated and their work was showcased in the basement of the Kyoto Shimbun (Newspaper) Building, the Heian...
A little over 2 years ago I was sitting at a table in the countryside of Japan, specifically Hida Furukawa, whittling chopsticks out of a “Hamidashimono” aka wood left-over with people on my left and my right people who gave me the courage to pursue Pieces of Japan and who...
About two years ago I visited Echizen with my parents, specifically to buy lacquerware from Shitsurindo (漆琳堂). Talking to the owner and successor of the family business we heard about all of the other crafts people in the region and I remember how it felt like a movement was about...
History courses through the work of Shizuka Tatsuno, though some would never think to say so. Her product designs often beckon us with their modern forms — their streamlined silhouettes and clean blocks of color — but they end up compelling us most when their crisp outlines dissolve, revealing artistic...
The rise of supermarkets in Japan changed the landscape of many smaller downtowns all across the country. Smaller mom and pop shops would go out of business one by one and once vibrant shopping streets would turn into “shutter streets”. The company Owan has been trying to counter this movement...
“An object has to be functional but has to be fun,” explained designer Oki Sato in a recent interview, “because the word ‘fun’ is inside of ‘function.’” Such wordplay speaks to the spirit of the work produced by Sato’s iconic design studio nendo. Sato’s search for the playful in the...
This summer, Japanese furniture maker Time & Style showcased a selection of furniture designed by architect Kengo Kuma. Like a compilation of rare B-sides, the exhibition, titled “Furniture that blends into the surroundings,” represents years of creative output and celebrates a facet of Kuma’s practice that has thrived quietly in...
