Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu by Keiji Ishikawa

Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu by Keiji Ishikawa is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Hiriwa in Hoahoa Taputapu Tunu, Rīhi, Inu me te Kuku Competition Category.

HiriwaTaputapu Kīhini· 2025

Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu

by Keiji Ishikawa

Client: KJ studio

A' Design Award Hiriwa Winner in Taputapu Kīhini Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #168643

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu

Ko te hoahoa o te peka ōriwa e tohu ana i te mauriora toitū hei whakaaturanga o te rangimārie, te mātauranga, me te tōnuitanga. Ko ngā rau kua whakaritea i ngā takirua taka i te peka, e hanga ana i tētahi tauira takaawhi e tohu ana i te tupu. Ko ētahi takirua rau rite ki te ngākau, e whakaoho ana i te mahana me te rangimārie. Ko ngā ōriwa tāwhiwhi kano e tāpiri ana i tētahi pā tōngā, me ngā rau me ngā ōriwa kua whakaritea pērā i ngā wāhanga panga. Mai i te taha, ko ngā rau tāpapa e hanga ana i tētahi tohu matatini. Ki te tirohia mai i runga ake, ā, ki te whakakīia ki tētahi inu, ka whakaata ngā tauira rau o roto, e hanga ana i tētahi hoahoa kōmāniho, ōrite ki te ora.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Hiriwa

Ko Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu te toa o te A' Design Award Hiriwa, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa taumata teitei rawa, ātaahua me te whakamīharo. Ko ngā toa Hiriwa he mahi tino kanapa, tino auaha e whakaatu ana i te mātanga, te pūmanawa me te mōhio hōhonu o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu he mahi whakamīharo, he tauira, he tino ngaio, he auaha hōhonu. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Hiriwa he hanganga rongonui, whakamīharotia e whai wāhi ana ki te whakawhānui i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ko Brilliant Olive Oko Karāhe Tēpu he mahi e hae ana te tini, e whakaara ana i ngā hiahia, e kawe mai ana i ngā kare-ā-roto pai, ā, e whakaoho ana i te mīharo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The olive, a symbol of peace, wisdom, and prosperity, is elegantly crafted in Kiriko glass. The design features olive branches with pairs of leaves arranged alternately in a spiral pattern, evoking a sense of growth. Some leaves are heart-shaped, representing warmth and tranquility. Gradient-colored olives reflect humble intelligence. The leaves and fruits are arranged like jigsaw puzzle pieces, enhancing their lively appearance when light passes through. This creates a shimmering effect, resembling living olive leaves, even when viewed from above as a drink is poured.
Dimensions & Packaging: The product dimensions are as follows: The sake glass is 60mm in diameter and 70mm in height in the main image. In optional image #1, the wine glass is 58mm in diameter and 150mm in height, and the sake cup is 60mm in diameter and 60mm in height. The top view of the sake cup is shown in optional image #2. In optional image #3, the rock glass is 77mm in diameter and 92mm in height. Finally, in optional image #4, the plate is 150mm in diameter and 33mm in height.
Tags: kiriko, cutglass, japaneseglassware, glassart
Production Technology: The double-layered glassware is carefully ground and polished by hand using Japanese Kiriko cut glass technology.
Design Challenge: Specially ordered wide-angle V-cut grinding wheels are introduced. Additionally, precisely applying wheels to the contact points with glass has been practiced and mastered.
Research: Custom-cutting wheels for olive leaves have been implemented. Additionally, wide wheels express the fantastic gradient of olives, requiring precise adjustment of the contact point with the glass during cutting. Advanced techniques are essential in cases where the glass is dark and difficult to see.
Inspiration: Inspired by the serene olive groves of Shodoshima, renowned for its olive production in Japan. Olive trees, revered as symbols of peace, wisdom, and prosperity, have been interwoven with human life from ancient times to the present. Striving to capture the enduring vitality and wisdom that nature embodies, the foundational concept of the design was meticulously crafted.
Project Duration: The project started in August 2024 in Tokushima, Japan, and finished in January 2025.
Operation Flow: The wide-angle V-cut olive leaf pattern creates an intricate, mesmerizing design when viewed from the glass's side. The pattern on the reverse side overlaps with the front, evoking the mystery of life. As shown in optional image #2, when a drink is poured and viewed from the top, the inner olive leaf pattern reflects each other, resulting in a complex, shimmering design as if the olive leaves have come to life.
Patents: The design is applying for design registration and will get copyright in registered designs in December 2025 in Japan.
Image Credits: Video Credits:
The glass is rotated to show the changing scenes in a video to depict the intricate and sparkling pattern that seems to be imbued with life from the olive leaves above.