Respecting Tradition – Furniture by Japanese Designer Jin Kuramoto

After my recent visit to Japan I picked up many small snippets of inspiration and knowledge along the way. A respect for nature seemed to be one of the most important points, and tended to be a theme that reoccured throughout the journey. This mindset is definitely carried through in to the actual production of products, and it’s especially prevalent in handicrafts that deal with natural materials.

Another thing I sensed in the furniture and architecture in-particular is the respect for tradition. This is partly the construction methods used to make the furniture, which are always done with great precision, but also their appreciation and study of furniture design that’s come before. When I saw this portfolio by Jin Kuramoto many of the designs themselves are quite familiar, not in a way that’s copying, but in a way that can elevate these traditional values to new levels.

Kuramoto studios was founded in Tokyo in 2008 by Jin himself. He works on various projects related to product design, but his concept is to focus on the “essence of things”. His design is modern and appealing on the eye, but looking through his portfolio you can see images of how they are made in the workshop, which shows he still has an eye on the past whilst always looking forward. I hope you enjoy some of my favourites images from his portfolio, more can be found on his website linked below.

jinkuramoto.com

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