About the Work
The art of Japanese sword making - bringing a greater sense of “beauty” to the world.
The art of Japanese sword making, has a history dating back more than 1000 years, and is considered the height of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Not only the blade itself, but the entire piece including all the decorative sword fittings, is a work of art and is now drawing much attention from a legion of dedicated fans and art collectors the world over. But how could we add a more global perspective and bring a new look to an art piece that is the absolute pride of Japanese culture? With this goal in mind, we invited the world famous designer; Marc Newson to join the project. Working tirelessly together through much trial and error, we eventually were able to accomplish our mission and complete aikuchi to perfection at last. “Aikuchi” does not incorporate a “lower guard” into its design, and is therefore considered by some people to be more of a “lucky charm” than a weapon. The name aikuchi was chosen for this project to highlight the tight coupling between the sword, handle and scabbard, and also to draw attention to the fusion of two different cultures.
aikuchi is the first product which WOW has produced completely and comprehensively from initial conceptual design to finished product.
▶ aikuchi official website
w0w.co.jp/aikuchi/index.html
作品について
日本刀は、さらに「美」となり、世界へ。
1000年を遥かに超える歴史を持つ日本刀は、刀身のみならず刀装具に至るまで全身が伝統工芸の極みともいえ、美術品としても世界に多くの愛好家を生み出している。この、日本が誇る美術品にさらにグローバルな視点を加え、新しい佇まいをもたらすことは出来ないか? その取り組みのためにWOWは、世界的なデザイナー、マーク・ニューソン氏を招き、共に試行錯誤を重ねた末に遂に“aikuchi”を完成させた。「合口」は刀とはいえ鍔を持たず、本来は武器ではなく一種の「お守り」的なものでもあった。今回のプロジェクトでは、その意味と、「柄」と「鞘」がぴったり合うことから、異文化間の融合を表す名として用いた。
“aikuchi”は、WOWが初めて企画から総合的にプロダクトプロデュースをした作品となる。
▶ aikuchi 公式ウェブサイト
w0w.co.jp/aikuchi/index.html
Staff
Producer: Hiroshi Takahashi (WOW)
Creative Director: Takuma Nakazi (WOW)
Art Director: Kosuke Oho (WOW)
Director: Shingo Abe (WOW)
Designers: Kohei Nakama (WOW), Shigeru Makino (WOW), Daisuke Moriwaki (WOW), Yoko Ishii (WOW), Saeko Shizuku (WOW)
Music: Tomohiro Nagasaki (WOW)
Project Manager: Yuki Tazaki (WOW)
—
aikuchi designed by: Marc Newson (Marc Newson Ltd)
aikuchi Production Producer: Okisato Nagata (EXS inc.)
Venue design: Masafumi Tashiro (Masafumi Tashiro DESIGN ROOM)
Installation Music Composer: Masato Hatanaka
aikuchi Logo/Graphic Design: Arata Maruyama (&Form)
Sponsorship: The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry;a recovery project for traditional crafts and local industries.
------------------------------------------------------
▶WOW official website: w0w.co.jp/en/
▶facebook: facebook.com/w0winc
▶Twitter: twitter.com/wow_tokyo