tradition of beauty : wire weaving and design : kanaami-tsuji : kyoto japan

Kanaami-Tsuji via somewhere i would like to live

It is said that the history of wire netting ware (“Kanaami” in Japanese) in Kyoto goes back more than ten centuries. Used as kitchen utensils in Kyoto cuisine, these tools have been cherished by chefs in the city through the ages.

At Kanaami-Tsuji, using the wisdom and experience of the past, our concept is to produce handmade utensils that can be also used in contemporary lifestyles.

At Kanaami-Tsuji, using original techniques such as kiku-dashi (“chrysanthemum pattern”) and kikko-ami (“tortoise shell netting”), we offer tofu servers and tea sifts that are individually handmade. We also accept custom-made orders for metal grills to match specific bowls or vessels.

Furthermore, we also produce ceremonial keko dishes used in Buddhist rituals.In these ways our hand woven metal products take a variety of shapes and are sold in various retailers around the country. In recent years, we have actively incorporated new metal weaving techniques.                                          .

sea view : architecture : ando corporation : wakayama : japan

 

beach front house by ando corporation : wakayama, japan via archdaily

water temple : architecture : shingonshu honpukuji : japan : tadao ando : photos by ken conley

photos : ken conley at kwc text : architectuul

Few of Tadao Ando’s projects represent the architect’s contribution to Japanese culture better than his Water Temple: more than a building, it is a sensorial experience representing a radical change in the age-old tradition of Japanese temple architecture. In something more than a simple inversion of the conventional ascent to the holy place, Ando employs a series of different architectonic spaces conceived as a succession of theatres for initiation. Walking between the lotus flowers, one feels that this is a place which transcends day-to-day life, a place where the combination of architecture with nature and the reverberation of the placid mirror of water naturally lead to meditation and asceticism. After descending the narrow staircase flanked by the cement walls so typical of Ando’s works, the visitor finally reaches the sacred space, where everything is enveloped in a warm vermilion red – an unusual use of colour by the architect. Access to the sanctuary is not immediate: once again, basic geometrical elements oblige the visitor to take a route which only gradually leads to the place of worship, offering continual surprises along the way. Ando has taken the oval shape of the pool underground and made it into a sacred enclosure within which he has organised different spaces, dividing the area in two with the long stairway and assigning half of it to the sanctuary and the other half to the adjacent rooms. The sanctuary is bounded by two semicircular walls enclosing a wooden structure built on the traditional model of Shingon temples, with a statue of Amida Buddha in the centre. The sacredness of the room is accentuated by the use of colour and light: natural light from a single source filters through a grating behind the statue of the Buddha and floods the nave, warming up the vermilion red in which the room is painted. The plastic and spatial results achieved here make the Hompuki temple one of the high points of Ando’s career, expressing a universe of symbolism and colour formerly unknown to him which has enriched his way of expressing the character of Japanese space.                                                                                                                                                                 .

without boundaries : the glass pavilion : toledo museum of art : sanaa architects : photography iwan baan

opened in 2006, the glass pavilion is home to toledo museum of art’s world-renowned glass collection, featuring more than 5,000 works of art from ancient to contemporary times. the 74,000-square-foot building also includes galleries for special glass exhibitions, artist studios, demonstration areas, and spaces for education, visitor relaxation, and special events. the glass pavilion is, in itself, a work of art. all exterior and nearly all interior walls consist of large panels of curved glass, resulting in a transparent structure that blurs the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces. designed by tokyo based SANAA architects  . all photos iwan baan                                                                            .

out in the open : architecture : meme meadows experimental house : kengo kuma & associates : japan

meme meadows experimental house by kengo kuma & associates  text : dezeen

this translucent cabin by architects kengo kuma and associates is an experimental house in hokkaidō, japan, designed to test the limits of architecture in cold climates. kengo kuma and associates were inspired by the traditional architecture of the indigenous ainu, whose “chise” style buildings clad with sedge or bamboo grass hold in the warmth of a central fireplace that is never allowed to burn out. ”the fundamental idea of chise, ‘house of the earth,’ is to keep warming up the ground this way and retrieve the radiation heat generated from it,” say the architects. the experimental house was constructed around a coated larch frame and it has a thick layer of polyester insulation sandwiched between the polycarbonate cladding of the exterior and the glass-fibre fabric of the interior. this insulation was made using recycled plastic bottles and it allows light to pass into the house through the walls. ”without relying on any lighting system, you simply get up when it gets light, and sleep after dark – we expect this membrane house enables you to lead a life that synchronises the rhythm of the nature,” the architects add. As the first experimental house completed for the meme meadows research facility, the building will be used by the environmental technology institute to test how different factors affect the thermal qualities of its construction. the internal lining can be removed for experiments, while a timber-framed sash window will also be examined. the project was completed with support from the tomonari yashiro laboratory at the university of tokyo’s institute of industrial science.                                                                                 .

cutting edge : design : kamikiri-hocho sakai paper knife : yosuke inui

living with a japanese chef, i know quite well how sacred their knives are. we have quite a few rules in our house, when it comes to using nobu’s knives. we are allowed to use them, but with care.

the thing i love about many japanese designers is the vision for the future, without forgetting traditions and the past. this morning i received a mail from yosuke inui, who has designed this paper knife for morimoto hamono. and this is what he had to say                                                                      .

winter comes to apple inc. : advertising / photography : kent shiraishi : biei : japan

This pond is a beautiful pond which changes colors every day. This pond is sometimes visible to wonderful blue or green. Moreover, it snowed in this pond for the first time today. And I looked at the light green pond! photos : kent shiraishi : Biei in Hokkaido, Japan. second photo used for apple advertising via earth story                                                                                                                  .

center for cosmic wonder : shop : fashion : cosmic wonder light source : tokyo

 The Center for COSMIC WONDER, founded in 2007, in Tokyo and Osaka, integrates all of our activities; COSMIC WONDER (artworks), COSMIC WONDER Light Source (fashion project), The Solar Garden CWLS (organic lifestyle project) and COSMIC WONDER Free Press (book and music publishing). Besides functioning as a gallery space for art and concerts, it is a place where visitors can share the experience of an unusual space. Sheltered from the daily march of time, visitors here are free to drift along with the flow of sounds in the universe.

a swim in japan : photography : anne frémy : les cashiers purple : france

so from finding les cashiers purple, inside, in an article about japan, i saw a black and white photo of two men swimming in a pool. i was spellbound. the men seamed to be floating in air. so poetic. i found out the photographer was anne frémy. i contacted her and bought a copy. now i have them in colour, floating on my wall. this photo was taken from her kyoto journal. photo : andrew trotter

cut cloud : fashion : interior design : ken okada : boutique paris

first a little apology that for the past month or so i haven’t been posting very much. with the closing of the shop, holidays and plans for the future and new work, i haven’t had much time. but now i’m back. while i was on a little research trip in paris, just off the rue grenelle a stumbled across a little white cloud of a boutique. with a thousand layers of fine white fabric that had been cut away to leave the window and shop space, ken okada has made a little piece of heaven. focusing on shirts ken is a japanese born designer who studied at the same school as yohji yamamoto                      .