Redesign of Kurojyoka כלי שתייה

Press Kit

Unique Properties

This is a redesign of the Kurojyoka, a traditional Kagoshima ceramic earthenware teapot for shochu, to fit modern lifestyles. The traditional Kurojyoka was shaped based on heating in a Japanese hearth, and the Satsuma ware craftsmen did not revise the Kurojyoka to fit their changing lifestyles, but this project is characterized by its sublimation into a modern Kurojyoka by revising this aspect of the project. The fact that the shape has been modified for the modern age.

Dimensions & Packaging

Kurojyoka, Width 120mm x Depth 146mm x Height 160mm
Cup, Width 75mm x Depth 75mm x Height 45mm
Warmer, Width 114mm x Depth 102mm x Height 63mm
Pitcher for Maewari, Width 80mm x Depth 84mm x Height 205mm

Tags

Product Design, Redesign, Tableware, Sakeware, Kurojoka, Kurojoka6442, Satsuma ware, Earthenware shochu teapot

Production Technology

The redesigned Kurojyoka has a mass produced design so that it can be used as a modern earthenware teapot for shochu and as an everyday household item for enjoying shochu. It is made using casting molding, a technique for mass producing ceramics, in which muddy ceramic clay is poured into a plaster mold.
The material is porcelain, which is durable and can be used for commercial purposes.
The glaze uses shirasu from the Shirasu Plateau, a characteristic of Kagoshima's soil, with the aim of it becoming an everyday household item made from local materials.

Design Challenge

In redesigning the Kurojyoka, we tried to make it a mass production type for easy general use, but there was a difficulty in that Kagoshima does not have mass production technology. Therefore, we asked a Nagasaki potter with mass production technology to manufacture the product, but used Kagoshima materials for the glaze, thereby creating a Kurojyoka with elements of the production area.

Inspiration

The project began with a request from MATHERuBA, which operates a cafe and store in Kagoshima, to redesign the Kurojyoka, a traditional Kagoshima porcelain earthenware teapot for shochu, to suit modern lifestyles and create an original product.
We therefore researched the origin of the shape of Kurojyoka for shochu traditionally used in Kagoshima, and found design inspiration in the abacus shape described in literature, which we redesigned into a shape that fits today's lifestyle.

Project Duration

The project began in Kagoshima in February 2018 and ended in November 2019 and has been sold.

Image Credits

Image #1 : Photographer Masahiko Kukiyama
Image #2 : Photographer Masahiko Kukiyama
Image #3 : Photographer Masahiko Kukiyama
Image #4 : Photographer Masahiko Kukiyama
Image #5 : Photographer Masahiko Kukiyama