Interview with YUDAI TACHIKAWA / AMUAMI

*We want to provide opportunities for Japanese artisans to demonstrate their finest craftsmanship.*

— Yudai Tachikawa / AMUAMI

JP

photography : Kazuhiro Shiraishi, Taiki Fukao, Daisuke Hashihara
words : Reiji Yamakura/IDREIT

Yudai Tachikawa, the director of traditional Japanese crafts who leads Ubushina, has launched Amuami, a new brand of lifestyle products. They define Amuami as an initiative to inherit and develop Japanese culture and are endeavouring to make their brand appealing to the international luxury market, taking advantage of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. We visited the gallery Amuami-an, which opened in Jingumae, Tokyo, and asked him about his passion for creation.

The stand light Ayamaki was created under the concept of combining silk thread-wrapped lampshade with silk covered legs. Amuami's products are based on the idea of remixing tradition with modern, cutting-edge technology. photography: Taiki Fukao

— For many years, Ubushina has been working on "one-of-a-kind" architectural and interior materials and artwork for interiors and architecture. What prompted you to launch a new brand of products after those experiences?

Ubushina's first major project was the Hotel Claska in 2003. Since then, we have been providing craftsmen with opportunities to do haute couture-type projects while carefully reflecting on the designer's requests. Each project was challenging, and we learned a lot from them. However, we noticed a challenge: since these are project-based jobs, the orders to the artisans need to be more consistent.

— Yes, each store's interior and architecture indeed have different requirements.

On the other hand, there has recently been a movement to utilise traditional skills in the everyday goods, such as democratising traditional crafts and creating items everyone can afford. However, the commodities market is price-constrained, making it difficult to ask artisans to do a job that demonstrates their finest craftsmanship. As I visited various regions in Japan, I was impressed by the amazing local handicrafts. Still, at the same time, I felt a sense of crisis about the situation surrounding traditional Japanese crafts. One reason for this is the lack of successors. Another reason is the fact that in a consumer society where mass production has become standard, anything that cannot be made more efficient will be eliminated. However, if Japanese craft becomes economically stable, traditional techniques can be kept and further developed. So, we came up with the idea of continuously selling top quality, repetitively produced goods to the luxury market.

— The current crisis has led you to aim at manufacturing products in a high-end market.

Yes, Ubushina has conducted a number of projects that were requested by European luxury brands such as French and Italian brands, and which could not be publicised. While I respected their history, I also realised that Japanese traditional techniques are just as good as those of the world's most famous maisons, but Japanese crafts have not been branded at all. Although there are not as many traditional crafts left in Europe as there are in Japan, European companies are excellent at branding, and when you hear the brand name, you can imagine what the user looks like. In addition, brands recognised as having high asset value can sell even in a recession and are prevalent in second and third-hand markets. Furthermore, during the pandemic, I had heard many concerns from artisans, which sparked my inner thoughts.

— I see, so that's how the idea came about.

From a long-term perspective, traditional Japanese crafts have a long history of 400 or 500 years, and The craft industry was supported by patrons from the nobility, the samurai class, wealthy merchants, and religious communities. Today, only rich merchants may have such economic power. We want to bring our products to people called Sukisya in the world of tea ceremony, not simply those who are successful in business. A Sukisya is a person who has a deep knowledge of art and culture and loves antiques. Therefore, the concept we have set as a manufacturing principle is "antiques for the future."

AMUAMI-AN, a gallery in Jingu-mae by appointment only. photography: Daisuke Hashihara

— How did you develop the designs for the items now in the gallery?

I designed all of them. Generally, when establishing a new brand, some companies hire a major designer and leave the design to them. However, I felt that assigning a famous designer would not suit Amuami's vision, so I first drew sketches and then made repeated adjustments while making prototypes. What I did was more the role of an editor than a designer. In other words, it was a process of editing the Japanese aesthetic, the unique character of Japan, as well as our network and knowledge. The word "Amu (= edit)" is one of the origins of our brand, Amuami.

— I did not notice that it included the meaning of "editing".

There is another meaning to this name. During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the name Ami was only given to those recognised by the shogun, the highest authority, for their abilities in a particular field, such as art or gardening. Noh performers Kan'ami and Zeami are still famous today. So, we named our new brand Amuami because of our admiration for such predecessors and our desire to connect with their history.

Hakke (large), a quartz glass plate with a wide octagonal shape with a width of 250 mm. The top is lacquered. The quartz glass was made by E-Stonetech, Shioya, Tochigi, and the lacquer by Komai Shikki, Takaoka, Toyama. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

A artisan carefully polishes quartz glass at the production company, E-Stonetech. photography: Taiki Fukao

— From here, we have the products in front of us, so please let me know the concept behind each of them. Is this glass?

Yes, this is a series made of quartz glass. Quartz glass is a highly transparent material used in semiconductors and fibre optics, and we applied lacquer and gold leaf to it. In the contemporary design field, there is an essential design code called modernism. I once read a fascinating insight about modernism. According to Leonard Koren, the editor who popularised Wabi-sabi in the US, modernism and 'wabi-sabi' are entirely opposite concepts. For example, the keyword of modernism is 'Mass-produced', while wabi-sabi values 'One-of-a-kind'. Similarly, modernism tends to 'Romantisizes technology', while wabi-sabi is 'Romanticises nature'. Influenced by his views, the series was created to combine glass, a typical material of modernism, with leaf and lacquer, typical materials of wabi-sabi. Combining the two contrasting materials was also intended to express the uniqueness of the Japanese, who are good at mixing different binaries into one rather than putting them in binary opposition.

As the lacquered bowl is used, the surface of the bowl is worn away, and the undercoat becomes faintly visible. These features are called negoro, and as the item is used, the percentage of wabi-sabi (rustic beauty) increases. This series is based on the concept of encouraging people to enjoy the ageing process rather than denying it.

— We don't see that kind of approach in ready-made products.

The vessel's shape was created from an editorial point of view, resulting in a half spherical and octagonal shape. The ancient Chinese symbol of Bagua inspired the octagonal shape. The thick bowl shape is made possible by carving out a solid piece of quartz glass rather than blowing it. As for the lacquer finish, the application itself was not too tricky, but it was very challenging to make the boundary between the glass and the lacquer look beautiful and sharp. The skilled artisans did an excellent job on that.

Bowl-shaped vessel ‘Hizuki’. Platinum and 24-k gold leaves were used on the inside.

Hizuki, with 24-k gold leaf. The non-coloured type, without leaf on the inside, is also avairable. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

— This series of boxes, named 'Tamatebako', seems to be a convenient item.

The motivation behind the development of these boxes was the desire to make more people aware of various regional crafts of Japan. Each region has different techniques so that a single motif can be expressed in several ways, such as Kumiko woodworking, carving and lacquering. This stone-made box was inspired by the authentic paving stone technique called 'ararekoboshi', which can be seen in the garden of Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. The red and black lacquer box is also decorated with abalone shells, using a mother-of-pearl inlay technique known as raden, showing the similar ararekoboshi pattern.

A series of wooden box Tamatebako made from quartersawn Japanese cypress. The lids are available in raden (top left), wood carving (top right), kumiko (bottom left) and Aji stone (bottom right). The woodwork was done by Yoshihara Woodworks, Shimane, the mother-of-pearl inlay by Musashigawa Workshop, Takaoka, Toyama, and the Aji stone by Fuseishi Sekizai, Takamatsu, Kagawa.

‘Shippo (carving)’ wooden box with cloisonne pattern in exquisite wood carving.

Arare-koboshi (Aji stone) with a paving stone pattern carved into the lid. Box size is 359 mm width and 79.5 mm height. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi（上3点）

— It is fascinating to see such fine craftsmanship in a box for everyday use. Then, tell us about the lighting fixture 'Silk-awase', that comes in pendant and stand types.

The lampshade was made by winding around 6000m of silk thread spun from about 300 cocoons. In Okaya, Nagano, a famous silk-producing region, only two special machines in the world can make three-dimensional lampshades from cocoons. It was made by Ajisawa Seishi, the manufacturer that once produced the original pendant lighting for the Hoshino Resort's accommodation. Seigow Matsuoka, one of my mentors, said that Japanese art culture has long had fundamental methods such as 'awase, kasane, kisoi and soroi'. With just a playful twist on matching the same materials, we tried to combine a silk shade with Sanadahimo, a braided silk cord, for this item. The Sanadahimo cord has a pipe-like structure, so one of the legs has a power cable inside.

'Ayamaki Stand light' uses silk for the shade and stand. The shades are made by Ajisawa Seishi of Okaya, Nagano and the Sanada cord by Ichimura Sanadahimo of Itabashi, Tokyo.

The shade size is 300 mm in diameter. The Sanada cord at the end of the foot is arranged in a beautiful fan shape. A pendant light with the same shade was also available. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

— Lighting is also used in these bamboo products.

We asked the bamboo artist Hajime Nakatomi, whom we have known since we were young, because we wanted to create products with an artist who is full of originality. He is highly regarded overseas, and his works have been collected by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, among others. This Nakatomi series is based on the idea of floating delicate bamboo objects to show light and shade, to which a light fixture has been added. He also manages the bamboo forests, and the exceptional effort and time he has put in is visible through his work.

Auspicious 8, created by Oita-based bamboo artist Hajime Nakaomi, is made of bamboo woven into organic shapes by hand. A light shone from below creates beautiful shadows.

Frill, an artwork of finely woven bamboo wrapped around like a ribbon. As with the 'Auspicious 8', the base has built-in lights. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

— And then, is the Tokyo Collection using crafts from the City of Tokyo?

Yes. We have expressed the aesthetic of Edo (Tokyo), known as iki, using techniques that still exist in the city. The Tokyo people tend to dislike 'show-offs'. In Tokyo, for example, kimonos with a komon pattern were generally favoured, and the pattern could only be seen when looking closely. Referencing such local culture, the wooden box 'Oboro' has an Edo-kiriko faceted glass lid with an arrow feather pattern and a kumihimo cord lining. The traditional arrow feather pattern is featured on both the lid and the lining. We also created a cylindrical lighting stand and pendant light with Edo-kiriko facetting. Glass shades are available in two variants: random hammered and checkerboard mesh pattern. The shade of a cylindrical light fixture, also made of Edo-kiriko faceting, has two types: random hammered pattern and reticulation pattern. These products are the result of the outstanding skills of the female artisan from Shimizu Glass. Besides, coloured faceted glass might be more commonly known; however, as Tokyo-based Edo-kiriko faceting originated from colourless glass, we used colourless ones for our items.

Accessory box ‘Oboro’. The Edo faceted glass lid is patterned with a arrow-feather pattern. Similarly, a arrow-feather-patterned kumi-himo cord is laid inside the box. The faceting was done by Shimizu Glass and the braided cord by Ryu Kobo, both based in Tokyo.

'Tsutsu-akari standlight' from Tokyo Collection. The shades come in two patterns: hammered and chequered mesh. All faceting is manufactured by Shimizu Glass. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

— What are these finely machined wooden pieces?

Yes, they are. Japan has long had a culture of downsizing, as the medieval Japanese poet Sei Shonagon famously quoted, '... and indeed all small things are most adorable'. Many Japanese people feel adorable with smaller things, so they make good small-scale things, such as bonsai, haiku, as well as cars. We created a three-dimensional Kumiko table,' Kiyomizu,' that aims to reduce the size of Kiyomizu Temple, which was built with a kakezukuri structure.

We created Kiyomizu, a three-dimensional kumiko table, that aims to miniaturise the Kiyomizu Temple, built with a kakezukuri structure. The table series was made by Maeda Tategu in Okawa, Fukuoka, which once made three-dimensional Kumiko furniture for hotels in Fukuoka. The design is a tribute to the masterpiece table 'Kyotoi' created by architect Gianfranco Frattini and genius craftsman Pierluigi Ghianda, which impressed me when I was pretty young.

'Kiyomizu (extra large)' is the largest table in the series, with a width of 1800 mm. The shape is a three-dimensional combination of 100 mm squares and the material is walnut.

'Kiyomizu' is available in three sizes, including medium (top) and small (bottom). This series is manufactured by Maeda Tategu in Okawa, Fukuoka. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

— Let me ask you one last question: what is this tiny object used for?

This one is an accessory case named a 'Gorinto', representing the five elements of the universe: earth, water, fire, wind and sky. To tell the truth, the inspiration for this product came from the wood scrupture of Dainichi Nyorai, sold for 1.4 billion yen at Christie's in 2008, which is estimated to have been created by Unkei in the 12th century. When I saw the X-ray photographs of the Buddha, I was very excited to find hidden treasures such as a five-story pagoda (Gorinto) and a wooden tablet. So, I decided to create a container with a similar shape and to store something valuable inside it. During production, we imagined how interesting it would be if our Gorintou was discovered somewhere 200 or 300 years from now and made the news.

— How do you put something small inside?

Inside the wooden tower, it has a metal cylindrical container, which can be easily opened by rotating the screw lid. On the surface, Japanese washi paper is applied to give it an abstract appearance.

Gorintou, a small accessory case in the shape of a five-storey pagoda. The body is made of cherry wood and the surface is covered with handmade Japanese washi paper from Tosa. An aluminium case is enclosed within the wooden body to store important items. photography: Kazuhiro Shiraishi

— It's a fantastic product, and we can't wait to see how it will be used in the future. When you launched these high-end collections, did you decide to target a global market of customers from the very beginning?

Yes, so far, we have continued our custom-made manufacturing under the name of Ubushina, and our business seems to be a journey to find patrons. When I imagined Amuami's audience who love 'antiques of the future,' I decided that the domestic market was too small and that the only way to reach them was to target international customers. We want to prove that international luxury brands can be created from Japan. Above all, we want to provide opportunities for Japanese artisans to demonstrate their finest craftsmanship. Someone might follow if we can change something in the traditional craft industry. The passion to change this current situation led us to launch our new brand, Amuami.

Amuami, launched by traditional crafts director Yudai Tachikawa, who has continued to take on the challenge of bringing Japan's regional crafts to life in contemporary society, has a distinctive aesthetic. We believe this is because Tachikawa is an accomplished connoisseur and at the same time has the eye as an editor. Undoubtedly, Amuami's high-end manufacturing was made possible because of the trust and experience built up at Ubushina, which values face-to-face communication with artisans. We will keep a close eye on the progress of the Amuami's craft movement originating in Japan by anonymous local artisans targeting antique enthusiasts overseas.