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 2022 Development Team
NOUSAKU×NIBUTANI AINU CRAFT
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.