Japanese & Korean
Contemporary
Craft
Collection
AMEICO’s long love of the Japanese aesthetic and its centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship has led to our keen interest ain Japanese contemporary design: How do today’s Japanese masters adapt the highly perfected traditional crafts and forms to reveal a new interpretation? How are ancient materials and techniques combined to say something new without compromising the beauty found in the age-old objects? The truth we gleaned from our numerous travels to the various regions of Japan is that new design is continually evolving respectfully out of the old, re-interpreted fresh new ways--here we present to you a highly edited collection of contemporary objects in various materials, from the island of Kyushu in the south up to the most northern part of Honshu.
This quest has led us to see beauty and honesty in traditional crafts from other countries in the region including South Korea where heritage craftspeople are recognized as national assets.
Toyo Steel Co. - Storage & Toolboxes
Toyo Steel Company Ltd. was established in 1969 in Osaka, Japan as metal stamping service for the surrounding community. For decades now, Toyo Steel has produced high quality tool and utility boxes as well as other fine steel items for both home and professional use.
In 2009, their Y-350 Camber Lid Tool box was the recipient of the prestigious Good Design Award. Their unique process of deep drawing technology involves stamping and folding instead of cutting and seaming, which eliminates sharp edges and creates a more sturdy, lightweight structure. Through their products, Toyo Steel strives to be a company which demonstrates value by contributing to the lives and by treading lightly on the environment.
Traditional Japanese blacksmithing
What began as an industry producing straight razors in 1744 now manufactures a variety of products including utility knives, traditional Japanese straight razors, Japanese gripping shears used for cutting thread, pruning shears, and floral shears. Each piece is painstakingly made by hand by skilled craftsmen using the same techniques that have been employed for generations.
Pokeboo - Packable Rubber Boots
Made by an innovative Japanese industrial gear manufacturer, Pokeboo won the 2018 Good Design Award for it’s relevance to modern spontaneity. Life happens, weather happens, and everyone is mobile, and equipped to be. Finally here is a pair of lightweight easily packed boots that fits into a backpack, or straps onto one with its integrated carabiner-bearing pouch. Made of thin and flexible natural rubber with a nylon lining and drawstring for a frictionless wear, it has a durable resilient synthetic rubber sole, and weighs no more than a bottle of water. Not only to keep your feet dry, and save your good shoes from wet conditions, you’ll never look so sharp in the great outdoors as when you are wearing your Pokeboos.
Yamazakura - Stationery
High quality notebooks, memopads and clipboards in beautiful duotone colors. The perforated accordion pages of the notebooks and memopads create a new linear way to map your ideas. The clipboards with magnetic flap can hold up to 30 pieces of copy paper. Since 1931 Yamakazura has been making paper products.
Master Shin's Anvil
Anseong is a South Korean city known for its brass, stone and iron crafts and artisans. Daejanggan means blacksmith shop, which today is run by Master Shin In-young who learned his craft from his uncle in 1966. Named by the Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, Master Shin forges and hand hammers kitchen, farm and garden tools in the traditional manner. As a recognized heritage craftsman, he has been called upon in the restoration work on the stone pagoda of the Mireuksa Temple in Iksan to produce the necessary stoneworking tools.
Akii - Night Book
"Best New Product" Award NYNOW 2019
Designed to blend into the bookshelf as an elegant leather-spined volume
in a matte steel case, Nightbook works by illuminating when you pull it out
partially. No more squinting to find faded book titles in the dark, rather fill
the space with a warm glow. Or use this as a bedside light. Long-lasting LED
made with fine materials, with a discreet wire and adaptor plug.
Subu - Slippers
These winter slippers are as useful as they are stylish. They have a durable sole and a Teflon outer coating for quick walks to the mailbox or other jaunts outside in Fall or Winter, and polyester down fill with a soft cushioned insole to make your feet feel like they are wrapped up in a warm down jacket.
Hibi - Incense Matches
Hibi matches last for about ten minutes bringing delightful fragrances to anywhere you bring the palm-sized box, allowing short aromatherapy sessions for the busy individual.
Oigen x Jasper Morrison
The Palma collection is a collaboration between Japan Creative – a nonprofit organization and world famous designer Jasper Morrison who was invited to work with the Oigen foundry in Iwate, just north of the area affected by the 2011 tsunami.
Cul de Sac - Aomori hiba wood products
Cul de Sac has developed a way to extract the essential oil from waste lumber associated with the use of these remarkable trees. In doing so, the company has recycled and repurposed this material into a variety of products that allow everyone to benefit from the Hiba wood’s superpowers.
Minoshi Garden - Mulberry paper mobile
Designed by Atelier Oï in collaboration with Gifu Prefecture and the Gifu Federation of Paper Industries, Honminoshi Garden is a modular flat-pack mobile made with one of the oldest Japanese papers.
Minoshi Garden is an interpretation of the mysterious spirit of Japanese landscapes. Akin to the light and shadow play of screens in Japanese houses, the translucent nature of multiple geometric origami elements project sererity and a dynamic addition to any space.
Making a Mayuhana pendant
the Mayuhana series designed by Toyo Ito, light diffuses through a multi layered finely woven cocoon that projects a shimmering angulated pattern upon its surroundings. The profile of the contours have an optical charm, that invite a closer look.
