There are various types of designers. However, I think there is no one who is better at not only designing himself but also connecting designers and makers, and makers and users, and creating new value than Teruhiro Yanagihara. Until now, he has created the ``KARIMOKU NEW STANDARD,'' which combines the techniques cultivated by the craftsmen of the Japanese furniture manufacturer Karimoku with the advanced ideas of domestic and international designers, as well as the future of Arita porcelain with new design approaches. We have grown brands such as ``1616/arita japan'' and ``2016/'', which were launched to pioneer new business, into long-lived brands. What he values ​​is the connection between people. Centered around him, the circle of creative and warm people spreads out like ripples.

Story by Teruhiro Yanagihara

HAMACHO HOTEL opened in Hamacho, Nihonbashi, Tokyo in February 2019. I am in charge of the design and creative direction of one of the rooms, TOKYO CRAFT ROOM. This is a platform for new manufacturing through collaboration between excellent Japanese makers and domestic and international designers. What was born from the encounter between the two will be permanently placed in this room, where it will continue to be seen and used by people.

The first cabinet delivered to this room was a collaboration between Dutch design studio D Intuitifabric and SOMA, directed by Minokamo woodworker Yu Kawai. And it was a porcelain cup created by Swedish designer and ceramist Ingejard Roman in collaboration with Arita pottery Koransha.

This fall, the second series of tables, benches, and stools were created by Swedish architectural design unit Clason Koivisto Rune (CKR) and Sashimono Kagu Takahashi, a furniture workshop run by joiner Yuji Takahashi in Hiroshima. has been completed.

The designers I introduce to manufacturing sites are basically people I get along with. I only approach people who have a good sense of humanity, who I can trust, and who can work on a project as a team even if we don't speak the same language. For example, I have known CKR since 2002, when they saw my exhibit at the Stockholm Furniture Fair for the first time and approached me. Eero [Koivisto] also introduced me to OFFECCT, a Swedish furniture manufacturer where he was the design director.

I had heard about CKR after seeing their Ingejard atelier in a photo book and thought it was great. Their designs are not just minimalist, but also have a sense of Japanese detail. Whenever I meet them, they always say, ``Teru is a great designer,'' and introduce me to many people. It is thanks to them that we were able to make various connections in Northern Europe.

The work I exhibited at that time received a lot of feedback, and many manufacturers approached me. However, Offect said, ``The design is really nice, but we can't commercialize it because it doesn't incorporate our philosophy.'' But after that, he continued to look at my designs for about two years, and eventually he said, ``I'd like to work on a project with you as a team.''

``From now on, we will expand into Asia.As Offfect's first Japanese designer, let's grow together.'' That's why I started thinking that in projects where I'm a director, I want to base my relationships on the idea that ``I can work with this person.'' If the first overseas manufacturer I worked with wasn't of Offect, I might have taken a completely different path.

If you do all the design work for a commissioned project yourself, it becomes a big business financially. But if I do it myself, it will stay at my size. For example, the global brand "400/" was launched in 2016, the 2016th anniversary of the founding of Arita porcelain, and 16 pottery makers, trading companies, and 8 designers from 16 countries around the world have joined forces to create a project that will lead to the future. .

Once I've worked with someone, I want to stay in touch with them for a long time, not just that one time. There are many people in Scandinavia who continue to work with the same manufacturer for a long time with this mindset, such as the aforementioned Ingejard and Alvar Aalto. I hope that there will be more and more people like this in Japan in the future.

Also, in areas where traditional crafts are produced, there are people who are critical of new designs, but in the case of Arita ware, for example, the same design style lasts about 10 years, and up to 50 years. Through the Dutch East India Company, people from all over the world sought new things in Arita, a cutting-edge industrial city. Then he realized, ``What we're doing is actually preserving tradition the most.'' I would like to continue to take on new challenges in my relationships with people.

TOKYO CRAFT ROOM
www.tokyocraftroom.jp
*When there are no guests staying, you can take a tour by asking the reception.

→Next time is CKR (designer).
(Titles omitted)