Announcement of the Launch of “paper altar” and Upcoming Exhibition
Wakabayashi Butsugu, a manufacturer of Buddhist altars and ritual items founded in 1830, will begin selling “Paper Altar” — a work that expresses the essence of prayer using paper as its primary material—at its Kyoto flagship store and online shop starting Friday, May 24.
https://www.wakabayashi.co.jp/project/paperaltar/
To commemorate the launch, we will be holding the “Kami to Inori – Paper Altar –” exhibition at the Takeo Yodoyabashi Sample Bookstore starting on Friday, May 24. We invite you to visit the venue and experience this new form of prayer.
Rethinking “Future of Praying” with Designers
Since our founding, we have been manufacturing and selling Buddhist altar furnishings for temples and home altars. Guided by our mission to “preserve the spirit and culture of prayer,” we strive to meet the needs of a diverse range of values and evolving demands. Through collaborations with product designers to develop Buddhist altars and ritual items that blend seamlessly into living spaces, and through projects with creators to reimagine Buddhist altars and express them through artisan craftsmanship, we continually reexamine the very essence of the Buddhist altar and the culture of prayer. We propose “new forms of prayer” that transcend specific religions and styles.
Exploring the potential of “paper” as an alternative to wood
In recent years, global circumstances have led to a serious shortage of wood—the primary material used in Buddhist altars—as well as soaring prices. In seeking alternatives to wood, we turned our attention to “paper,” a material that offers a rich variety of colors and textures and can be processed in numerous ways. With the full cooperation of Takeo Co., Ltd., a specialized paper trading company, we launched the “Paper Altar” project, featuring designers Haruka Misawa and Koichiro Oniki. We will begin sales of the four prototypes announced last September on Friday, May 24.
＜Takeo Yodoyabashi Sample Book Exhibition “Kami to Inori – Paper Altar – ” Overview＞
Exhibition Title: Kami to Inori – Paper Altar –
Dates: Friday, May 24, 2024 – Sunday, June 23, 2024
Hours: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Venue: Takeo Yodoyabashi Mihoncho
URL: https://www.takeo.co.jp/news/detail/004244.html
*Venue for Osaka Art & Design 2024
Concept: Takeo Co., Ltd. (Sales Development Division 1), Wakabayashi Butsugu Mfg. Co., Ltd.
Produced by: Yusuke Makita (Construct)
Design: Haruka Misawa (Nippon Design Center Co., Ltd.) / Koichiro Oniki (Oniki Design Studio Co., Ltd.)
Art Direction: Yoshiki Uchida, Takuya Wada (cosmos Co., Ltd.)
Production Support: Kobayashi Danzetsu Co., Ltd., Tohoku Shigyo Co., Ltd., Rocca Co., Ltd., Shoei Co., Ltd., Misuzudo Co., Ltd., Sartre Co., Ltd., Newell Gashi Co., Ltd., Chotoku Kaken Co., Ltd., Taisei Shiki Seisakusho Co., Ltd., Ace Package Co., Ltd.
Takeo Co., Ltd.
Since our founding in 1899, we have contributed to the development of paper culture as a specialized paper trading company by developing and supplying “Fine Paper”—paper characterized by its rich colors, textures, and material qualities. We collaborate with paper manufacturers both in Japan and abroad to incorporate cutting-edge technologies, while also working with numerous leading designers to create paper that serves as a medium for stimulating creativity.
https://www.takeo.co.jp/
Haruka Misawa (Designer)
Head of the Misawa Design Laboratory at the Japan Design Center. Associate Professor at Musashino Art University. After graduating from the Department of Crafts and Industrial Design at Musashino Art University, she worked at the design firm nendo before joining the Hara Design Institute at the Japan Design Center. In 2014, she launched the Misawa Design Laboratory. Through an experimental approach, she continues to observe the underlying principles of things and visualize the unknown possibilities derived from them.
https://misawa.ndc.co.jp/
Koichiro Oniki (Architect/Designer)
Born in Tokyo in 1977. He spent his childhood in the UK and studied architecture at Waseda University before joining the architectural firm Nikken Sekkei. He later joined nendo Ltd., where he served as Chief Director for 10 years, overseeing spatial design projects both in Japan and abroad. In 2015, he established Oniki Design Studio. He is active in a wide range of fields, focusing primarily on architectural, interior, and exhibition space design. He is a licensed architect (First Class).
https://oniki-design-studio.com/
