London Design Festival: Atelier Densan at wagumi

To coincide with London Design Festival, wagumi at Oxo Tower Wharf will host a special collection from Atelier Densan. This will be a rare chance to encounter items from the 244 officially recognised craft traditions of Japan. They combine both classic motifs and exquisite skills.

Across Japan, there is an enduring history of techniques and traditions in craft that continues to enrich everyday life.

The task of cataloguing, preserving and celebrating these traditions is not a small one - and receives official support from the Densan programme.

Only crafts and craftspeople that satisfy the rigorous examinations of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, can acquire official designation within the programme. Therefore, the Densan logo is a mark of pride to those that receive it. It is also a mark of quality to those that find it.

A premier location to find the work of the Dentō Kōgei-shi (designated craftspeople) is at the Atelier Densan gallery and shop in Tokyo. It is rarely seen overseas.

There will be an exception however, during the London Design Festival. At this time the wagumi craft and design shop at Oxo Tower Wharf will host a specially curated selection of work from within the Densan canon.

This will include lacquerware from the Aizu-nuri tradition, thick and brightly patterned washi paper from Toyama, and the hard unglazed stoneware of Bizen. And much else besides.

Each piece tells a story of its region, its terroir and materials, and the human traditions embodied in its creation.

The task of preserving these traditions, and maintaining their relevance and connection to contemporary life, is made easier by those that support it. Knowledge and encounters can encourage more to commit to lives making such work, and helps uphold the identity of the regions in which the items are made.

Atelier Densan during LDF hopes to allow more to know the depth of quality and interest to be found.