A new
Nibutani brand
The Nibutani area is a special place even in Hokkaido; a place where craft techniques and traditions are passed down with care, and those include rituals offering prayers to the gods and ancient ceremonial dance.
The Nibutani Ainu Craft Project makes use of these traditional skills to create new products for their future.
Now, Nibutani's craftspeople and outside creators are working together on new developments, with world-famous fashion designer Junko Koshino as general design director.
The FY 2023 Development Team
NOUSAKU×NIBUTANI AINU CRAFT 2023
Introducing the “i-sapte Tableware Collection,” born in 2022. As the second installment, six new items have been added, focusing on vessels that leverage the tin’s advantage of “enhancing the drink’s mellowness.”
This year, we continue our collaboration with Nousaku, a longstanding cast metalware manufacturer in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, established 107 years ago. We have developed products that infuse Ainu patterns, often expressed through woodcarving and embroidery, into metal, creating a new charm that can be enjoyed at the daily dining table.
With tableware infused with Ainu essence, we hope you can feel their culture in your daily life.
NOUSAKU×NIBUTANI AINU CRAFT 2022
These products were developed as a collaboration of traditional metal casting techniques of Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture with traditional Ainu crafting techniques that are passed on to this day in Nibutani, Biratori Town, Hokkaido Prefecture.
The Japanese word for hospitality, “omotenashi”, can be playfully interpreted as “omote ga nai”, “without a front side”. As the name suggests, these dishes have no fixed top and bottom, and can be used in any way that you might imagine.
These Ainu patterns reflect the artisan’s spirit and wishes for the safety and wellbeing of the user, and will add a touch of excitement to any dining table setting.
