Iron bowl by Nobuho Miya, from Analogue Life
A master forger of nambu tetsu, or traditional cast iron, Nobuho Miya works from his Kamasada ironware studio, founded by one of his ancestors in the Meiji era. His work has been exhibited worldwide, as far a field as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The production process of involved in this jet-black, cast-iron bowl requires over 40 steps. To customise it for Wallpaper*, Miya created a special mould featuring the Wallpaper* asterisk. The finished limited edition product has an austere beauty and, thanks to its lacquer glaze, will never rust.
5,175 Yen ($58.50 USD)
Wallpaper* has a long-standing love affair with Japan and its commitment to traditional crafts, and now a new wave of young designer artisans is using these skills to create exceptional designs for the contemporary home. For our Handmade issue, we enlisted Ian Orgias of Japanese homeware specialists Analogue Life to produce a special collection of tableware for Wallpaper*. Customised with the Wallpaper* asterisk, three of these finely crafted, limited edition designs are now available to buy.
Whether created in an ironware studio from the Meiji era or crafted using the magewappa technique of steaming and bending strips of 200-year-old wood, these pieces are made by artists at the top of their game.
The specially customised designs for Wallpaper* add to Analogue Life's beautiful collection of modern Japanese homeware. Run by Canadian expatriate and photographer Ian Orgias and his wife Mitsue Iwakoshi, Analogue Life is converting design fans, both in Japan and abroad, to a fresh appreciation of an ancient aesthetic.
Iron bowl by Nobuho Miya, from Analogue Life
Iron bowl by Nobuho Miya, from Analogue Life
Pan Zara by Yoshimasa Shibata, from Analogue Life
Yoshimasa Shibata is a second generation magewappa artisan, whose techniques have been honed over four hundred years. Since joining the family firm, he has introduced a line of more contemporary pieces with the designer Masanori Oji. The bread plate (which can also be used as a tray) is made from Akita cedar from 200-year-old trees, which have perfectly straight grains. The wood is stripped, boiled, bent and tied together with bark from cherry blossoms. This limited edition design’s smooth surface has been branded with the Wallpaper* asterisk.
8,050 Yen (approximately $89.50 USD)
Pan Zara by Yoshimasa Shibata, from Analogue Life
Pan Zara by Yoshimasa Shibata, from Analogue Life
Kami mug cup by Hidetoshi Takahashi, from Analogue Life
Wood carver Hidetoshi Takahashi was born in Hokkaido, a region renowned for its forests and wooden furniture. Since taking over the family woodworking factory in Asahikawa, he has been working with young designers to create a contemporary range of tableware using traditional techniques. The only decoration on the beautifully simple form of this Kami mug cup is the fine wood grain. The base of the limited edition piece has been laser engraved with the Wallpaper* asterisk.
4,025 Yen (approximately $44.50 USD)
Kami mug cup by Hidetoshi Takahashi, from Analogue Life
Kami mug cup by Hidetoshi Takahashi, from Analogue Life
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