Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki by Yuko Ishikawa Okuhara

Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki by Yuko Ishikawa Okuhara is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Zilver in Bakgerei, Serviesgoed, Drinkgerei en Kookgerei Ontwerp Competition Category.

ZilverKeukengerei· 2023

Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki

by Yuko Ishikawa Okuhara

Client: Authentic Japan Shunme

A' Design Award in Zilver Winner in Keukengerei Category

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Colors

The Design

About Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki

Tsuzumi heeft een symmetrische vorm met aan beide uiteinden twee kopjes, elk met een andere kleur. Je kunt Tsuzumi gebruiken om sake, een soort sterke alcohol of delicatessen te serveren, maar als je het gewoon als een kunstwerk tentoonstelt, kun je tevreden zijn vanwege zijn nobelheid en sierlijkheid. Het harmonieert met bijna alles. Normaal gesproken wordt makie aangebracht op het lichaam of de binnenkant van de billen, maar in het geval van Tsuzumi is het gepositioneerd alsof het van binnenuit naar buiten gluurt. Dit is de essentie van Japanse schoonheid, die bescheiden maar indrukwekkend is. Gelaagde urushi, tamenuri, creëert sierlijke tinten in de cup.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Zilver

Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Zilver, een buitengewoon prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan topontwerpen die prachtig en indrukwekkend zijn. Winnaars in Zilver zijn enorm briljante en uiterst creatieve werken die de uitmuntende expertise, het talent en de scherpzinnigheid van hun ontwerpers illustreren. Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki wordt verwacht een prachtig paradepaardje te zijn dat opmerkelijk professioneel en diepgaand innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in Zilver heeft gewonnen, is een hoogst opmerkelijke, bewonderde uitvinding die baat en de grenzen van kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie verlegt. Tsuzumi Dubbele Sakazuki is een zeer benijde creatie die verlangens oproept, positieve gevoelens brengt en verbazing en verwondering doet ontvlammen.

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.