On November 17 and 18, 2023, the event “Go Forward 2023” was organized by “NEXTRAD,” a team of 13 kiln owners from Imari and Arita in Saga Prefecture working to ensure a sustainable future for the Arita ware industry. The event aimed to raise awareness about the craftsmanship of Arita ware and the current situation and challenges faced by the industry. It featured exhibitio...

From November 18 to 26, 2023, ceramic artist Hideki Yanashita held an exhibition of his works at Japanese pottery gallery TOBETOBEKUSA in Hatchobori, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. This marks the sixth time that Hideki has held a solo exhibition at the gallery, and exactly one year since the last one there.After graduating from Kuwasawa Design School in Tokyo, Hideki trained in Shigaraki and built an ana-gama ki...

The international trade show for interior and design, “MAISON&OBJET” is scheduled to be held from January 18 to 22, 2024, at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in France. This exhibition, which began in 1994, takes place biannually in January and September, attracting companies worldwide involved in various lifestyle aspects such as furniture, lighting, textiles, interior decoration, ...

How did the Ryuhaku glaze, which has become synonymous with your work, come about?There are three historic kiln sites in Sonose, and one can still find many pieces of ceramics scattered at the foot of the kilns. The fragments from that time often have a different texture than the current image of Hagi ware, and can evoke surprisingly new and different feelings as well. One of them had a coloring s...

Aizawa Wood Works was founded in 1974 in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, as a woodturner specializing in making wooden vessels for lacquerware. They produce various items using a wide range of wood processing techniques, including sashimono (joinery), magemono (bentwood), rokuro (spinning lathe), and kurimono (hollowing). They also place emphasis on their original brands, which are popular for the na...

Kyoto Marubeni Co., Ltd, a company specializing in kimono business, has collaborated with V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum), one of the world’s leading museums for art, design, and performance, founded in London, Britain. Their first collaborative kimono collection has debuted on Kyoto Marubeni’s online shop.This collaboration came to fruition as both parties resonated with the mutual appreciat...

KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa 2023, an art fair specializing in kogei (crafts), will be held from December 1 to 3, 2023. The venue is the HYATT CENTRIC KANAZAWA in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, as last year. The event, which will exhibit works by up-and-coming young artists as well as internationally renowned artists, will be held in hotel rooms so that visitors can enjoy the works in a more familiar d...

Ikigai. This word gained recognition among many non-Japanese following the overseas publication in 2016 of a book titled Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. “Ikigai” is an abbreviated form of an expression that means “a reason for living” and signifies a quality of finding joy and vitality in life. While distinct from traditional aesthetics, it is consider...

NEXTRAD is a team formed by 13 people of young entrepreneurs and successors of porcelain manufacturing companies in Arita and Imari. Their mission is to address various issues currently faced by the Arita ware industry and actively engage in activities to ensure that Arita ware, with over 400 years of history, is connected to the future as a sustainable industry.Following last year’s event, NEXTRA...

“JAPAN CRAFT EXPO 2023” will be held at the Festival Plaza, Expo’70 Commemorative Park in Osaka from November 3 to 5, 2023. The main feature of this event is that all participating exhibitors will conduct experiential workshops. A total of 55 craft makers from various craft production areas, ranging from Hokkaido to Okinawa, specializing in metalwork, ceramics, woodworking, lacquerware, paper, tex...

The long-awaited solo exhibition of ceramic artist Masahiro Sakakura was held at Kakiden Gallery in Shinjuku, Tokyo, three years after his first solo exhibition in 2020. Masahiro is the heir to the historic pottery company “Sakakura Shinbei-gama Kiln” in Nagato, Yamaguchi Prefecture. While respecting the tradition of the Fukawa-Hagi style and earnestly engaging with the materials, he f...

The Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries will hold the “KOUGEI EXPO IN OKAYAMA” (the 40th Traditional Craft Products Month National Assembly) at Convex Okayama in Okayama Prefecture from November 3 to 5, 2023. The KOUGEI EXPO (Traditional Craft Products Month National Assembly) is held every November as the central event of “Traditional Craft Products Mon...