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Renowned for its breathtaking vistas of Mount Fuji and verdant tea plantations, Shizuoka City, Japan, is also a crucible of artistic heritage, boasting 12 distinct traditional crafts with a legacy spanning over 400 years. From the lustrous depths of Urushi lacquerware to the intricate delicacy of Suruga bamboo work, these crafts represent a profound connection to history and a dedication to meticulous skill.
The Crafts Shizuoka project, initiated in 2019, serves as a dynamic platform to celebrate and invigorate this rich artistic landscape, through fostering collaborations between local artisans and international designers, and forging a new path for these time-honored techniques, resulting in creations that resonate with both heritage and contemporary aesthetics.
The core concept of this initiative lies in pairing Shizuoka’s master craftspeople with designers who bring fresh perspectives and global influences. In recent years, the project has placed a significant emphasis on jewelry design, recognizing its potential to showcase the versatility and artistry of these traditional crafts to a wider audience. The 2024-25 cycle exemplifies this approach, bringing together the expertise of artisans specializing in tin casting, acrylic work, and Suruga Take Sensuji bamboo work with the creative visions of Denis Guidone and Natsuko Toyofuku, designers active in both Tokyo and Milan.
TIN TRANSFORMED: KURITA SANGYO AND NATSUKO TOYOFUKU
Kurita Sangyo, a company with a 130-year history dedicated to the art of casting, has collaborated with Milan-based jewelry designer Natsuko Toyofuku to explore the potential of tin in contemporary jewelry. Known for their “Jutaro” brand, which features cast metal homewares, Kurita Sangyo has ventured into new territory with this project, creating a series of tin pendants, rings, and earrings.
pendant, top: W55×H27×D5, bottom: W27×H19×4, length: 450 – Tin, Steel, Urushi,
Silk ring: Φ38×W28, Φ34×W25 – Tin
Earrings: w23×H13×D3.5 – Tin
Toyofuku’s design sensibility, combined with Kurita Sangyo’s casting expertise, has resulted in modular pendants that offer a unique element of personalization, comprising two cast parts and a string that can be freely combined. This collaboration demonstrates the successful translation of industrial techniques into the realm of high-end jewelry, offering a fresh perspective on the use of tin.
ACRYLIC’S ALLURE: ZEROMISSION AND DENIS GUIDONE
ZEROMISSION, a company specializing in acrylic materials for accessories and display fixtures, has partnered with designer Denis Guidone to highlight the inherent beauty and versatility of this material. Guidone’s minimalist aesthetic is evident in the resulting collection of necklaces, brooches, and earrings, which emphasize clean lines and the interplay of color and form. One standout series features two-color acrylic components that rotate around a central axis, allowing the wearer to create their own unique configurations.
This collaboration showcases the potential for acrylic to be both coolly contemporary and playfully engaging, pushing the boundaries of traditional jewelry materials.
BAMBOO REIMAGINED: KAMIYA TAKE KOUBOU, DENIS GUIDONE, AND NATSUKO TOYOFUKU
Suruga Take Sensuji Work, a delicate bamboo craft native to Shizuoka, takes center stage in two compelling collaborations with Kamiya Take Koubou. In their partnership with Denis Guidone, Kamiya Take Koubou has created bamboo accessories that are both innovative in form and vibrant in their use of color. The resulting necklaces and earrings showcase the intricate techniques of Suruga Take Sensuji while embracing a fresh, modern aesthetic.
The collaboration with Natsuko Toyofuku takes a different approach, exploring the sculptural possibilities of bamboo. Toyofuku’s concept of shaping bamboo into squares and inserting three-dimensionally bent bamboo strips has resulted in a series of striking pendants that challenge traditional notions of bamboo jewelry. The combination of Kamiya Take Koubou’s technical mastery and the design vision of Toyofuku has yielded bamboo accessories with entirely new shapes and forms, demonstrating the material’s capacity for artistic innovation.
A MODEL FOR CREATIVE COLLABORATION
The Crafts Shizuoka project is as a compelling model for how traditional crafts can thrive in the 21st century. By fostering dialogue and exchange between artisans and designers from different cultural backgrounds, the project is generating innovative products that appeal to a global audience. This initiative supports the local economy and preserves cultural heritage and contributes to the evolution of contemporary design.
The project is organized by the City of Shizuoka and supported by its “Culture/creative industrial market reclamation support program”, highlighting the commitment to fostering creativity and innovation. As the Crafts Shizuoka project continues to evolve, it promises to be a significant force in shaping the future of craft and design, offering valuable lessons for the jewelry and art world.
