Craft x Tech Tokai Project 2026 Tokyo Exhibition
The exhibition will present, for the first time, collaborative works created by six craft regions across the three prefectures from the Tokai region together with six internationally active creators. Through new responses by contemporary creators to the materials, techniques, and philosophies inherited within each craft tradition — Mino Yaki, Mino Washi, Arimatsu Narumi Shibori, Owari Shippo, Seto Sometsuke Yaki, and Iga Kumihimo — the exhibition proposes new possibilities for the future of Japanese craft.
Mino Yaki, Gifu Prefecture
Yohei Ito, Fudogama x David Caon
Title：FUSHI
Fudogama, a Mino Yaki kiln, and industrial designer David Caon will present a table and lighting piece composed of modular ceramic elements.
Mino Washi, Gifu Prefecture
Takanori Senda, Warabi Paper Company x Lanzavecchia + Wai
Title：Grid Unwoven
Warabi Paper Company, known for Mino Washi, and design studio Lanzavecchia + Wai will create a freestanding screen that reinterprets the traditional Japanese shoji screen.
Arimatsu Narumi Shibori, Aichi Prefecture
Hiroyuki Murase, Suzusan x Bethan Laura Wood
Title：Kataginu
Suzusan, representing Arimatsu Narumi Shibori, and designer Bethan Laura Wood will transform the rich chromatic expressions produced through shibori dyeing and binding techniques into illuminated sculptural works.
Owari Shippo, Aichi Prefecture
Shigeyuki Ando, Ando Cloisonne x Philippe Malouin
Title：Kasane
Ando Cloisonné and designer Philippe Malouin will reinterpret the minimalist symbolism of the “Kogetsudai” at Ginkaku-ji Temple, reconstructing it architecturally as a series of stacking boxes.
Seto Sometsuke Yaki, Aichi Prefecture
Mayuki Kato, Shingama x Eugene Kangawa / EUGENE STUDIO
Title：Chair in Japanese Nuki and Dami style, The Everyday at the Atelier (Standard / Child Scale)
Shingama, a Seto Sometsuke Yaki kiln, and artist Eugene Kangawa / EUGENE STUDIO will present a collection of chairs and tea ware inspired by the brushwork and fluctuations of the “dami” underglaze painting technique, where the daily practices and creative worlds of artisan and artist intersect.
Iga Kumihimo, Mie Prefecture
Tomoyuki Matsuda, Itogo x Atang Tshikare
Title：Yamollo
Itogo, an Iga Kumihimo manufacture, and designer/artist Atang Tshikare will create luminous objects evoking volcanic energy, drawing upon the intricate structures and expressive colours of braided cords.
Please experience the collaborative works in person at the exhibition.
In addition, following its Tokyo presentation, the project is scheduled to travel to London this autumn, further sharing new possibilities for Japanese traditional crafts with international audiences.
[Curatorial Directorʼs Message]
With the Tokai Project, Craft x Tech enters its second chapter.
When you return to a project for a second time, you arrive with even more curiosity.
As the first one, also the Tokai region offered us a particular depth: a place where industrial history and artisanal knowledge have been in conversation for centuries, long before we arrived with our questions.
What I hadn’t fully anticipated was how profoundly each pairing would push beyond the brief – the results are often surprising, always more than what any of us had imagined at the outset. Seeing these collaborations unfold between designers and artisans becomes friendship out of experience and exchange, and knowing they’ll be shown around the world, makes us excited, moved and proud of the major collective work behind this special project.
I really have to thank all the people involved, in particular Hideki and his great team based in Tokyo.
Maria Cristina Didero
[Exhibition Overview]
Title: Craft x Tech Tokai Project 2026 Tokyo Exhibition
Dates: May 30 (Sat) – June 2 (Tue), 2026, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Venue: kudan house 1-15-9 Kudan-kita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Admission: Advance tickets ¥1,500 (until May 29, 2026) | Same-day tickets ¥2,000
*Date and time reservation required
Tickets: Available via ArtPass https://art-ap.passes.jp/user/e/crafttech?lang=en