“Wabi-sabi” is one of Japan’s traditional aesthetic sensibilities, having grown out of Zen. Japan has long had a variety of aesthetic senses, such as “mono no aware” and “iki”, but wabi-sabi is one Japanese term that has spread worldwide, and can now be considered an international aesthetic. This sense of beauty has influenced many aspects of Japanese culture, from literatu...

Shigaraki is a town rich in nature and surrounded by mountains on all sides. Located south of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, it is a highland area at an altitude of about 300 meters, with cool summers and very cold winters. One can see tanuki or ‘raccoon dog’ figurines lined up here and there all over the town, and it is no wonder that tanuki have become a synonym for Shigaraki ware in general. Ho...

The Executive Committee for Japan Craft Week (operated by The Creation of Japan General Incorporated Association) will be holding its very first “Japan Craft Week” online from the 18 to 25 of September, 2022. This year marks its very first edition following the concept of “Connecting through Crafts,” and aims to use this period, including the autumn equinox, as a special week to be immersed into a...

“Hokuriku Crafts Festival GO FOR KOGEI 2022” will be held again this year in the three Hokuriku prefectures, Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui. This event was launched in the Hokuriku region in 2020 as a platform to convey the charm of crafts from a contemporary perspective. This time, the theme “The Journey of Crafts, Moving Our Emotions,” lets us reconsider the relationship between our generation toda...

This autumn, HULS Gallery Tokyo will hold its second exhibition showcasing sake ware. Japanese sake ware comes in many different materials and shapes. In the many ways that we can enjoy and appreciate them — using them according to your mood or the taste of the sake, or simply admiring them as decoration — they never fail to fascinate us. This exhibition will include over 200 works from more than ...

This 2022, Fujimaki Seitou, a manufacturer that produces porcelain in Arita, Saga Prefecture, released a beautiful tea set titled “BUN KO KI,” showcasing an elegant and simple design. Fujimaki Seitou is known for making tableware using fresh color glazes and refined shapes without any painted decoration. Even though many manufacturers specialize in solely painting in Arita, Fujimaki stands out by ...

Hata Shikki, a brand that manufactures and sells Yamanaka lacquerware, is holding its first solo product launch exhibition. Held at its own store in Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa Prefecture, the exhibition opened August 18, 2022.Founded in 1930, Hata Shikki has since developed two brands of lacquerware, “col.” and “unomatsudo.”, using the wood turning technique that has been traditionally passed down i...

In Japan, crafts such as ceramics, lacquerware, textiles, wood and bamboo products, and metalwork are produced in many different locations across the country, and each region has its own unique style of craftsmanship. For example, within Japanese ceramics, Karatsu ware from Kyushu and Ohori-soma ware from the northeastern Tohoku region differ greatly in terms of their materials and color expressio...

Japanese crafts are beautiful. Sometsuke plates drawn with gosu pigment, bowls made up of many layers of lacquer, light-colored textiles dyed with the natural kusaki-zome technique, and one-of-a-kind yakishime style vases with unpredictable yohen effects that emerge during firing. These crafts are not only beautiful in form and design, but also function as tools, each embedded with the aesthetic s...

SHAPE & DECORATION Vol. 3, a joint exhibition by glass artists Hideaki Kakurai and Haruya Hiroshima, was held at Gallery Aizuya in Koishikawa, Tokyo, from June 25 to July 3, 2022. The theme of this exhibition was “Images of daily life created from objects.” When people are attracted to or pick up an object, they may be envisioning an image of their life with that object. Based on this hy...

The special exhibition “Ornate Meiji Period Art: Shining Kyoto Artists of the Imperial Court” will be held at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art from July 23 to September 19, 2022.The Imperial Court artist system was established by the Ministry of the Imperial Household in 1890 and continued until 1944 to honor and protect outstanding artists and craftsmen. It was established to save...

The 16th Paramita Ceramic Art Grand Prize Exhibition, in which works by the top six artists nominated by museums, galleries, and art critics nationwide as being “ceramic artists representing the times” will be exhibited, is to be held at the Paramita Museum in Mie Prefecture from June 9 to July 31, 2022. A Grand Prize of 1 million yen will be awarded to the artist who receives the most...