KOGEI STANDARD Japanese Crafts Online Media

Since its founding in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1931, Kimoto Glass Tokyo has collaborated with numerous craftsmen for over 90 years to introduce glass tableware to the world. With a wholesaler’s unique perspective on market trends, the company produces new glass products tailored to modern lifestyles.The company is also actively engaged in collaborations between craftsmen and designers. In January this ye...

The term “craftsmanship” has come to be widely used in recent years. It is not limited to handcrafted artisan goods but also applies to products such as watches, cars, and fashion items. The attitude of pursuing high quality in the creation of objects is often expressed as “craftsmanship,” and today many high-end brands, such as Gucci, Hermes, and Loewe, include explanation...

Following a period when Chinese and Korean tea bowls (Karamono chawan and Korai chawan, respectively) were highly valued, Japan began to produce its own tea bowls for the tea ceremony. This marked the birth of Japanese tea bowls (Wamono chawan). From their origins in Seto (Aichi Prefecture) and Mino (Gifu Prefecture), these tea bowls spread to various regions, each influencing one another in terms...

“Maison&Objet,” the international trade show for interior and design, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024, will take place at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in France from January 16 to 20, 2025. Since its launch in 1994, Maison&Objet has been held twice a year in January and September, as a leading international exhibition in the fields of decoration, design and lif...

On October 30, 2024, I visited the town of Wajima in the Noto region of Ishikawa Prefecture. This was my second visit since September of the previous year, but the town’s landscape had changed drastically since then. Upon arriving at the airport, I noticed that there were strange bumps all over the parking lot. The view from the car as I headed into the city was far more grim than I had imagined. ...

The successive heads of the Kobeigama Kiln have each produced remarkable works, continuing the kiln’s legacy. As the eighth generation head of the kiln, how do you approach this tradition? Additionally, could you share how this history influences the ceramics you create today?The first generation head of the kiln, Kobei Kato, established a nobori-gama or climbing kiln on the slopes of this mountai...