The Poetry of Oke and Chazutsu
— The Wellspring of Artisan Creativity —
2025.6.19 ~ 2025.8.17
中川周士 ／ 作品名、 八木隆裕 ／ 作品名
Shuji Nakagawa, who brings bold, modern forms to traditional oke (Japanese wooden tubs)—his family’s craft—and transforms them into sculptural objects.
Takahiro Yagi, the sixth-generation successor of the long-established Kaikado, conveys contemporary beauty and messages through his handcrafted chazutsu (tea caddies).
These two artisans have breathed contemporary life into the beauty of craftsmanship and beauty in use, redefining the global appreciation of Japanese craft.
What secrets lie in their eyes and hands? This exhibition delves into the wellspring of their creative spirit.
“Craftspeople, who devote themselves to materials each day and draw out pure beauty through their techniques, work with a sensibility and set of hands that differ fundamentally from artists who begin with self-expression,” says Nakagawa.
In this exhibition, in addition to their finished works, drawings and collages are presented in an effort to visualize the inner world of craftspeople at the moment of creation.
Oke and chazutsu—both born from a deep relationship with tea. Through the quiet beauty of their craftsmanship, we invite you to experience the rich, meditative time that unfolds—with a cup of tea in hand.
After studying three-dimensional art, Shuji Nakagawa apprenticed under his father, Seiji Nakagawa—holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property designation—and became an oke (Japanese wooden tubs) craftsman. In 2003, he established Nakagawa Woodworking Hira Studio. In 2010, he created the official champagne cooler for Dom Pérignon. In 2015, his Jindaisugi (lignitized Japanese cedar) KI-OKE stool was added to the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In 2017, he was selected as a finalist for the inaugural Loewe Craft Prize.
Takahiro Yagi is the sixth-generation successor of Kaikado, a Kyoto-based maker of chazutsu (tea caddies) founded in 1875. Not only does he produce beautifully handcrafted, functional chazutsu, but in recent years he has also applied traditional techniques to create remade works from vintage tin cans, conveying the concept of “continued use” of objects. In 2025, he created a collaborative chazutsu with Loewe, presented at the Milan Salone.