Japanese Metalworker Ruka Kikuchi

Born in 1983 in Soja, a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Ruka has trained to be metalworker under his father Masaaki Kikuchi since early 2000. After a six year apprenticeship he began making his own cutlery and tableware under the studio name of ‘Lue Brass’.

In 2010 Ruka won the Japan Mingei Museum Exhibition prize and relocated his studio from Soja to Setouchi, where he now creates and pursues his craft.

Photography: Takanori Yamamoto

There’s now a selection of Ruka’s metal work in our shop Introduction Ruka Kikuchi (also known by his nickname Lue) makes utensils and accessories out of brass in the Japanese city of Setouchi. Lue crafts objects that cooperate with the lives of ordinary people, hoping that every time one of his items is picked up and used it brings great pleasure and will last for many years.

Although he makes all his works by hand, he has recently started to explore the production of cutlery using workshop machinery. He hopes that he can push his craft to more people by using top quality metal and interesting design solutions, for example one flat piece of brass punched in to shape with a single mould. All of the works that we stock in the shop are handmade by Ruka himself and have been passed over by his keen eye for detail.

We hope that the photographs here taken inside of his studio give you a sense of how he produces these pieces and the time it takes for perfect the cutlery. Lue starts with a blank piece of metal and ends up with something that’s functional with a lot of character. A product that’s been lovingly made by hand and has a timeless appearance, these all his works are sure to last a lifetime!