Tucked among the quiet streets of Kakunodate, a former samurai stronghold in northern Japan, Denshiro has been shaping cherry bark into everyday poetry for over two centuries. The art form, known as kabazaiku, began as a way for samurai to stay close to nature during peacetime. Today, under the care of Denshiro Shirakata’s descendants, the tradition lives on in tea canisters, trays and boxes that seem to glow from within. Each piece is made by hand, the bark harvested with care from wild cherry trees and either polished or left bare. A reverence for material is at play, plus a knack for turning something humble into something extraordinary. The past isn’t just preserved here; it’s burnished to a shine.

In 2003, Shinichi and Yasue Iida left their careers in interior design to pursue woodturning as self-taught artists. They moved to Izu-Kogen – a small, scenic town nestled in Itō, Japan – where they work exclusively with a lathe, experimenting with the possibilities of a cylindrical starting point. At every turn, their work considers the Japanese concept of sabi, which explores the beauty of natural ageing. While some pieces are exposed to rain and soil to encourage the distinctive patina that they refer to as an ‘earth finish’, others are dyed via ash mordanting to create a reddish hue that will fade to brown over time.  

Junpei Kawaguchi never set out to inherit a centuries-old tradition. A native of Tottori, he began in leatherwork; while making a bag, a search for a woven detail led him to Makoto Nagasaki, whose family had guarded their rattan techniques for eight generations. Under isshisoden—where methods are passed in secret to a single successor—Kawaguchi was entrusted with hanamusubiami, a flower-knot weave dating back to the Edo period. Today, he continues the legacy through hand-braided woven flower baskets that carry this rare inheritance into the present.

Headed by Yoshikuni Sugimoto and nestled in Japan’s Tottori Prefecture, Makidani-gama is a ceramic studio with a distinctly geometric point of view. Its signature lies in nerikomi—a technique, akin to neriage, where layers of colored clay are stacked and sliced to reveal intricate patterns. Unlike surface decoration, these designs run all the way through the clay, giving them an enduring, almost eternal quality.

Founded in 1838 on Kyoto’s Teramachi Street, Seikado has long been devoted to the fine art of Japanese pewter. In its earliest days, the workshop produced sacred objects for nearby temples and shrines, many of which remain in use across Japan today. Over nearly two centuries, its repertoire has expanded from tea ceremony caddies to contemporary works of art, each handmade through a dialogue between traditional technique and modern craftsmanship. Every piece reflects the philosophy of kirei-sabi: an appreciation for elegant beauty, enriched by the quiet transformations that come with age.

For more than 100 years, the Murase family behind Suzusan – now in its fifth generation – has been refining the traditional shibori technique in the Japanese town of Arimatsu. It wasn’t until 2008, however, that Hiroyuki Murase founded Suzusan to place Japanese craft through a contemporary lens. The sensitive process, which translates to ‘wring’ or ‘twist’, sees parts of the textile tied, sewn or folded before they are dyed. Such careful manipulation results in flowing colour gradients and three-dimensional structures. Yet, this fine art is declining rapidly; while there were once 10,000 artisans working in Arimatsu, today there are less than 200. Its revival is paramount to Suzusan, as seen in the constant development of innovative procedures, materials and dyes.

While studying ceramics and design, Takeyoshi Mitsui found himself drawn to glass and its quiet unpredictability. From his studio in Toyama, Japan, he begins each piece with breath and molten light, blowing and carving until the surface softens into a misted, rain-washed hue. His approach to color is instinctive and guided by his color-blindness; as there’s no single way to see, the feeling is what matters. In his hands, beautifully frosted glassware comes alive with the traces of its making.

Based in Toyonaka, Osaka, Thursday Furniture is a workshop devoted to the warmth and character of wood—from fig to maple, persimmon to hackberry. Guided by a philosophy of “crafted by nature,” each piece is designed to grow in beauty with time: the more it is touched, the more its texture deepens, and the more it reveals a quiet dialogue with the life and space around it. Every wooden bowl is carefully shaped and turned by hand, one by one, each object destined to be lived with, worn in and treasured for years to come.