‘How many artisans are sustaining Japanese craft today?’
With this question in mind, Nagata Takahiro, curator of Hyakkō: 100+ Makers from Japan, spent two years travelling across the country, meeting over a hundred makers and visiting their studios. Through direct encounters with the makers and their works, the word hyakkō, literally ‘a hundred artisans’, was no longer so much about the number 100 but about expressing respect for the wide variety of crafts.
In Hyakkō, visitors encounter a collection of almost 2,000 hand-crafted items, involving more than 120 artists, craftspeople and self-taught makers. This diversity and richness reflects the very essence of Japanese crafts.
These makers and their practices are closely connected to their local environments and the ways people live within them. Meet three groups of makers featured in the exhibition: ceramic artists Yamamoto Ryōhei and Hirakura Yuki; woodturner Tokeshi Hiroyuki and urushi lacquerware artist Tokeshi Ai; and metalwork artist Nakamura Yumi.
Yamamoto Ryōhei and Hirakura Yuki: Ceramics reimagined through history
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The first porcelain in Japan is said to have been produced in Arita in the 1610s, over four hundred years ago. Near the home and studio that Yamamoto Ryōhei and Hirakura Yuki share lies the site of what is considered the oldest kiln in Arita (present-day Saga Prefecture). After three busy years following the studio’s establishment in 2006, Ryōhei’s health started to decline. ‘I decided to live doing what I truly love. Once I made that choice, I noticed the beautiful things that surrounded me.’ With this comment, Ryōhei was likely referring to this ancient kiln site and all that is born from it.
Over time, Ryōhei and Yuki began to see the old kiln beside them with renewed interest. Around 2009, they started researching and replicating old works from around the time porcelain first emerged in the area, refining their techniques through this process and gradually developing a style that became uniquely their own.
Ryōhei handles the material preparation, wheel-throwing and glazing, while Yuki oversees the painting. Unlike most pottery, which is bisque-fired before glaze application, they use a method called namagake, in which the glaze is applied directly without a first firing, a technique used in early Imari ware.
‘Living here has made me reflect more deeply on older pieces, and it’s really changed how I approach painting,’ says Yuki. By painting on unfired clay, Yuki finds that her work gains character.
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Tracing the evolution of the couple’s creations, the earliest works display the brushstroke irregularities typical of early Imari ware. Later pieces feature barely discernible motifs, with only faint silhouettes of blue gosu (cobalt) pigment showing through. Their most recent works, however, bring the designs back into clearer focus. ‘What matters most is that the glaze, painting, and form become one,’ Ryōhei adds.
Tokeshi Ai and Tokeshi Hiroyuki: Lacquerware and woodwork shaped by life in Okinawa
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In the northern part of Okinawa’s main island, in Nago City, Tokeshi Ai and her husband Tokeshi Hiroyuki run Mokushikkō Tokeshi. Within this lush environment, the couple creates everyday lacquerware using locally sourced Okinawan woods, crafting pieces that harmonize gently with daily life.
Both Ai and Hiroyuki began their journey in craft at Okinawa Traditional Pottery Guidance Center (now Okinawa Promotion Center of Arts and Craft) and later moved to Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture to start apprenticeships. ‘Wajima is a town of craftsmen,’ Ai reflects. ‘Being immersed in a lineage built by so many craftsmen–that was incredibly valuable for us. Our time in Wajima was truly a treasure.’ With the birth of their child and a growing desire to create their own work, the couple returned to Okinawa in 2010 and established their independent practice.
‘Working and living in Okinawa started to influence the pieces I created. Gradually, I began using local wood,’ Ai recalls. A major turning point was the discovery of sendan (chinaberry wood), which transformed their approach to bowl-making. They started to move away from conventional lacquer techniques and toward a style that resonated with the qualities of Okinawan wood.
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Instead of using pre-turned bowl blanks made by specialists in Wajima, Hiroyuki began turning bowls with Okinawan wood himself. Ai also adapted her lacquering to match the character of the wood Hiroyuki worked with. ‘I think that’s what it means to create something that suits the land here,’ she reflects. ‘By making pieces that felt right in this environment, we started leaving more of the wood grain visible, and the colors naturally became lighter and more relaxed.’
At Mokushikkō Tokeshi, the couple primarily produces lacquerware – bowls, trays, tiered boxes and plates – along with lacquered spoons and other utensils. ‘We don’t want our bowls to feel like one-of-a-kind collector’s items,’ says Hiroyuki. ‘We try to make a fair number. That said, I like to shape each one in a way that suits the piece of wood itself.’
Nakamura Yumi: Balancing space and form through metalwork
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Though kettles are used daily, they are often left out after use. Because they are always visible, Nakamura Yumi wanted to create something beautiful to exist in interior spaces. About her motivation for creating the kettle she says, “I wanted to make a kettle that you’d be proud to display.”
A major in interior design, Nakamura had no interest in making things during her studies nor did she have any knowledge of metalwork. It was only when she visited a gallery where she encountered works by people creating things with their own hands, that she became fascinated with work by metalsmiths. ‘Their minds and hands worked as one. I was strongly drawn to that cycle of creation.’
In 2008, she enrolled in the Aoyama School of Jewelry and Metalsmithing in Tokyo, where she learned the fundamentals of hammering metal from scratch and made her first copper kettle.
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Nakamura approaches her craft with a strong awareness of spatial design. ‘Originally, I studied interior design, so I prioritize making things that look beautiful when placed in a space. I round the handles because I believe they affect the environment somehow. I think about the visual possibilities of the handle beyond just its function to hold. So, I deliberately deform and exaggerate it, giving the handle a sense of spatial presence and wondering how that would look in context. Though they are functional utensils, they also stand as beautiful objects,’ Nakamura states.
Since everyone’s strength is different, the hammer marks carry the character of the maker. Hammering causes wrinkles in the copper, which she hammers to transform into thickness and height, slowly shaping the three-dimensional form. Nakamura says she loves this part of the process. ‘Unlike ceramics or glass, metalwork lets you keep touching the form until the very end. You can keep hammering forever, so deciding when to stop is crucial… I stop just when it’s like it’s holding a little air.’
Hyakkō: 100+ Makers from Japan is on display at Japan House London until 10 May 2026.
This article has been adapted from the exhibition-related book Hyakkō no Design, published by Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd (MUJI).