Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki by Yuko Ishikawa Okuhara

Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki by Yuko Ishikawa Okuhara is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Silwer in Bakware, Tafelware, Drinkware en Kookware Ontwerp Competition Category.

SilwerKombuisware· 2023

Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki

by Yuko Ishikawa Okuhara

Client: Authentic Japan Shunme

A' Design Award in Silwer Winner in Kombuisware Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki

Tsuzumi het 'n simmetriese vorm met twee koppies aan weerskante, en elkeen het 'n ander kleur. Jy kan Tsuzumi gebruik om sake, 'n soort sterk alkohol of lekkernye voor te sit, maar om dit net as 'n kunswerk te vertoon, kan jou bevredig vanweë die edelheid en grasie. Dit harmoniseer met byna enigiets. Normaalweg word makie op die lyf of die binnekant van die onderkant aangebring, maar in die geval van Tsuzumi is dit geposisioneer asof dit van binne af uitloer. Dit is die kern van Japannese skoonheid, wat beskeie maar indrukwekkend is. Gelaagde urushi, tamenuri, skep grasieuse skakerings in die beker.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Silwer

Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Silwer, 'n buitengewoon prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan topklas-, pragtige en indrukwekkende ontwerpe. Wenners in Silwer is geweldig briljante en uiters kreatiewe werke wat die uitstaande kundigheid, talent en skerpsinnigheid van hul ontwerpers illustreer. Daar word verwag dat Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki 'n wonderlike vertoonstuk is wat merkwaardig professioneel en diepgaande innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Silwer gewen het, is 'n hoogs noemenswaardige, bewonderde uitvinding wat die grense van kuns, wetenskap, ontwerp en tegnologie bevoordeel en uitbrei. Tsuzumi Dubbel Sakazuki is 'n wyd beny skepping wat begeertes oproep, positiewe gevoelens bring en verbasing en verwondering wek.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Tsuzumi has a symmetrical shape with two cups on either end, and each has a different color with makie on it. Normally, makie is applied to the body or the inside bottom, but in the case of Tsuzumi, it is positioned as if it looks peeking out from inside. This is the very essence of Japanese beauty - modest but impressive. You can choose either cup to use according to your preference on the day. Furthermore, the body is polished by a roiro specialist to represent the true black, shikkoku. Tsuzumi can be used to serve sake or delicacies, but just displaying it as a piece of art could satisfy you due to its nobility and gracefulness. It is easy to maintain because there is no angle between faces. Such angles would easily get dirty and deterioration tends to start with those angles.
Dimensions & Packaging: Materials: Natural Wood, Diatomaceous Earth Powder, Urushi, Gold Powder
Dimensions: Width 65 mm x Depth 65 mm x Hight 100 mm
Package: Packed in a high-quality paulownia box with a piece of natural turmeric-dyed cotton cloth
Tags: wood, lacquer, nature, japan, culture, decor, tableware, elegant, beautiful, sake, shunme
Production Technology: Tsuzumi is handcrafted with totally natural materials, so it is light and has low thermal conductivity, and the curved surface is extremely smooth. Due to such characteristics, you feel pleasant to touch and use it as well as you can enjoy it as an objet d’art. Only the high-skilled turners can work on this item because the finished side, which has been finely carved, must be connected to the turning machine without being damaged. One of the cups is finished in tamenuri that enables you to enjoy not only graceful shades but also its aging with time making its color brighter. It is repairable, so it will always be with you.
Design Challenge: Tsuzumi requires highly-skilled artisans through the entire process of production. The characteristic shape and glossy tamenuri finish of Tsuzumi make it laborious for the artisans to complete each of their procedures. They must be the ones who have experiences and intuition for their arts. However, the number of artisans who have skills high enough to be involved in the traditional production process of this kind of shikki has decreased due to the shrinking market. Such shikki will disappear unless the best effort is actively made to make people understand and enjoy the splendor of such shikki. Tsuzumi is designed to play one of the roles of items in the mission.
Research: Shikki is categorized as traditional craft in Japan and part of them are protected in some ways mainly under one of the ministries of the government - METI. However, the manufacturers and artisans dealing with a certain kind of shikki - 100% from nature - have, in a sense, certain kinds of difficulties. Tools and materials needed for traditional production process tend to have poor distribution, manufacturers and artisans of that kind feel unrewarded with chemical-blended urushi also allowed to be displayed as urushi, for example, and, even in Japan, people generally don’t know true beauty of shikki partly because they don’t have opportunity to appreciate it - such shikki is light and feel pleasant to handle. Materials from nature and artisans’ skills should be in a perfect harmony to produce the beauty in the items for use. Whether in Japan or across the world, such beauty could be one of the examples that are persuasive enough to make people believe that nature, tradition, sustainability and beauty are altogether part of something we love.
In the 1900s, the number of experts and workers involved in the industry has decreased to about one-third from approx. 22,000 at its peak (Yukiharu Yasujima, 'The Decline and Development of Traditional Industries as Seen in Case Studies Focusing on Wajima Lacquerware', Koyo Shobo, 2020).
Inspiration: I believe that aesthetics of things you use as well as their quality is the crucial element for you to enjoy everyday life and that such aesthetics of shikki requires careful manufacturing with natural materials. That’s the key to the unique gloss of Tsuzumi and the way it feels. With its characteristic shape, Tsuzumi harmonizes with almost any style beyond its origin. It is repairable and sustainable, which means it will always be with you. You would know the beauty and values of shikki when you actually see and touch it. Tsuzumi could be a rising star to spread the splendor of traditional handcrafted items.
Project Duration: The project started in October 2019 in Toyama and finished in April 2021 in Ishikawa, and was exhibited at National Art Center, Tokyo, in December 2021.
Operation Flow: This design enables people to enjoy the item for a lifetime because the more urushi ages, the more transparent it becomes, and because the item is repairable by re-applying urushi or by mending with gold powder and urushi, adding another taste to the item. The item is made with totally natural materials, so it has high affinity with nature, i.e. eco-friendly.