Articles of the Series
The Future Map of Crafts
Young artisans who are learning tradition and searching for their own unique expressions. Their journey, filled with uncertainty yet moving forward, holds clues to the future. We bring you the voices of these young people who are not content to simply carry on tradition, but are creating the next generation of crafts.
Why Fourth-Generation Printer Nobuto Ogawa Is Reviving a Faltering Craft Cycle
The Sekioka Mokuhanga Kobo workshop continues a lineage of woodblock printers that stretches back to the Edo period.
Passing on a Master's Legacy to the Next Generation: The Challenge of Frame Artisan Daichi Kurihara
Daichi Kurihara of Fuji Seigaku found his vocation in picture frame making after pursuing soccer and studying fashion design. While preserving the techniques inherited from his mentor, Toshio Fukutoku, he is working to pass them on to future generations through outreach activities and the training of new artisans.
Shogo Watari: The Beauty of Curved Wood that Embodies Nature, Dialoguing with Yoshino Hinoki & the Body
Shogo Watari explores a new expression of bentwood that weaves together Yoshino hinoki, straight and curved lines, and the relationship between nature and the artificial. This article visits his Kyoto atelier to learn about his practice.
Urushi Art × Future: Who Is Keisuke Sano, the Young Urushi Artist Creating "Enigma" with Techniques from 1,000 Years Ago?
Is this a tool, a work of art, or perhaps a new form of prayer for the future?When you see Keisuke Sano's series of small boxes, called "Enigma," anyone will feel their notions of "traditional crafts" being shaken.
Sculpting Everyday Beauty Through Dimensional Embroidery: The Eclectic Charm of Momoka Ienaga
Embroidery artist Momoka Ienaga merges British stumpwork and Japanese embroidery to express everyday motifs in three dimensions. Raised in an industrial dyeing family, she creates narratives of daily life through needle and thread.