Insight Kogei Articles

Collect, the leading international fair for contemporary craft and design organized by the Crafts Council returns to Somerset House from March 3 to 5, 2023. In addition to the physical fair in London, all works will be available for viewing and purchase online via Artsy.net from March 1 to 12, 2023.Collect is a unique fair for collectors and craft enthusiasts to discover outstanding work from inte...

In 1983, textile artist Noriko Tsuiki came across a piece of scrap cloth in a small antique store in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture. It was a Kokura-ori children’s hakama fabric with beautiful stripes that gave it a three-dimensional feel. After this fateful encounter, she began to work to revive  Kokura-ori, which had been out of production since the early Showa period (1926-1989), finally ...

“DESIGN WEEK KYOTO 2023 in Tanba, Kyoto, Yamashiro” will be held in Kyoto Prefecture for four days from February 16 to 19, 2023. The main event would be the “Open Site,” where many manufacturing sites are open to the public all at once. In recent years, open studio events have been held in many creative cities around the world. Design Week Kyoto is one of them, launching in 2016, making this year ...

Yamanaka Onsen (hot springs) is said to have been discovered by Gyoki, a renowned monk of the Nara period (710-794). It is a picturesque town nestled in the bosom of the Hokuriku Mountains (a region west of Tokyo on the Japan Sea side of Japan), with onsen ryokan (inns with hot springs) scattered along a valley with beautiful bridges. The famous poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) visited the area and w...

We want Arita’s craftsmanship to be more widely known. “Go Forward 2022 – The Future of ‘14P’ Related to Porcelain Manufacturing,” an exhibition and hands-on event driven by this desire of a group of people in the industry who go by the name “14P” to introduce this region where porcelain is made, was held from November 3 to 5, 2022.NEXTRAD, the organizer of this event, is a team of fou...

“The Rebirth of Kokura Ori: The Beauty and Essence of Stripes – The Revival of Kokura Ori That Stemmed From a Single Piece of Fabric,” a special exhibition organized by the Japan Design Committee, will be held at Design Gallery 1953 at Matsuya Ginza from December 27, 2022 to February 20, 2023.Kokura-ori is a historical cotton textile that has been in production mainly in Buzen Kokura since the Edo...

When discussing the uniquely Japanese sense of beauty, the words “ma” and “yohaku” are indispensable, as are “wabi-sabi.” “Ma” is mainly used in theater, music, and interpersonal relationships, while “yohaku” is frequently used in art, design, and for other two-dimensional works.

The Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition is an open competition dedicated to the protection and nurturing of Japan’s outstanding traditional crafts. The exhibition features works by numerous artisans from all over Japan, showcasing the best of their skills in friendly competition and bringing together the techniques and beauty of Japanese craftsmanship. The 69th edition of the exhibition was h...

Okawachiyama, Imari-city, Saga Prefecture, also known as the village of the secret kilns, is where the Nabeshima clan had once established its official kilns. Hataman Touen is a kiln that continues to produce porcelain ware that focuses on delicate paintings of nature motifs in the style of Imari Nabeshima, together with thin white porcelain made to enhance those decorations. In addition to tradit...

“KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2022” will be held at Hyatt Centric Kanazawa in Kanazawa-city, Ishikawa Prefecture from December 9 to 11, 2022. The sixth edition this year will be centered around the theme – “KOGEI for you, here & now.” 31 galleries from Japan and abroad will participate and about 150 works by both emerging and world-renowned artists will be exhibited and sold, including contemporary...

The “Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Museum” exhibition organized by the “Tsubame-Sanjo Factory Festival” committee in 2021 received the Grand Prix of “Red Dot Design Award 2022,” the highest award in the Brand & Communication Design category. This award is considered one of the world’s three major design competitions. The award ceremony was held in Berlin, Germany in October 2022. The mayor of Sanjo-ci...

Mori Kougei specializes in “Tsuki-ita,” a type of woodwork that involves pasting together thinly shaved paper-like veneers. Founded in 1953 in Tokushima Prefecture, Mori Kougei has since inherited the techniques and knowledge of wood and has been planning home interiors, and manufacturing and selling wooden furniture and crafts. They specialize in laminating and combining wood, making use of the b...