HULS Inc. will release a new item, “Hydrangea – Water Vessel (L)” on 8th August (Sat).KORAI proposes “senseware” as an art piece that triggers human sensitivity and opens the door to new senses by feeling nature in our daily living. The large-sized “Hydrangea – Water Vessel (L)” ...

Shuji Hataishi represents the fifth generation of the Imari Nabeshima ware company, Hataman Touen, and an active artist. As the eldest of three siblings, he was born and raised in Imari Okawachiyama in Saga Prefecture. He studied at the University of Art and Design in Tokyo (Toky...

Mix the paint and apply it on the woodblock. Place the Japanese washi (paper) carefully on the block and use the baren (a flat pad) to rub the washi. After these processes and with bated breath, Mr. Noriyasu Soda quickly pulls the washi off from the wood block, on which a beautif...

Mr. Koji Orii is the founder of “Momentum Factory Orii, Co.,Ltd.”, which deals with a wide range of coloring of Takaoka copperware. Born and raised in Takoka City in Toyama Prefecture, he is the third generation of a long-established “Orii-chakushokujyo (colorin...

To celebrate the renewal of KOGEI STANDARD, I had an interview with Ms. Noriko Tsuiki, a textile artist of Kokura-ori.I met with Ms. Tsuiki in 2015. It started from the encounter with the textile brand “KOKURA SHIMA SHIMA”, which Ms. Tsuiki herself is the creative director....

Q1：What kind of encounter did you have with Kokura-ori?I did not graduate from an art university and my family business was not related to Kogei, so, my approach was rather different. I like literature since my childhood and when I was a university student, I was attracted by ear...

Mr. Seiji Ito, a teapot artisan in Tokoname, entered the world of pottery at the age of 20 and initially was engaged mainly in making teacups. When the growth momentum of the high economic growth period began to slow down, he steered towards the production and sales of teapots wh...

Eifu Kawamata is the 4th generation of “Okeei” who inherited the manufacturing of the Edo wooden tub since the Meiji era. He did not aspire to become an artisan when he was a child, but he started to have an interest in art and the Japanese culture during his university days. Aft...

Ms. Eiko Tanaka, a woodworking artisan was born in the city of Anjo, Aichi Prefecture. During her childhood days, she was attracted by handicraft and was good with her hands such as doing crafts and sewing. Influenced by her parents who liked art appreciation, she found herself a...

Yasuko Kamochi and Yumiko Tanaka are in charge of “etsuke” (decorative painting) at Fukujugama in Arita, Saga Prefecture. Even in Arita, which is the famed historical area of porcelain, there are few artisans specializing in etsuke at the present time. Yasuko joined Fukujugama be...

Takeyoshi Mitsui is from Hiroshima Prefecture. He likes drawing and craft class and physical education since he was a child. From his interest in manufacturing, he majored in crafts in university where he developed an interest in glass making which he felt was the most complicate...

Mr. Masanori Soejima is a glass craftsman who carries the next generation of Soejima glassware who excels at free-blown glass without using any mold. And this type of glass called “Hizen Vidro” is unique to the area of Saga. After studying glass making at the university and joini...