TOHOKU STANDARD

TOHOKU STANDARD

The Tohoku region has retained its “Mono-Zukuri” tradition or simply put, Traditional Manufacturing Orientation, that was developed in its harsh environment and has been carried on to the present day. Behind it are people who have been evolving and passing down ingenuity, wisdom and thought by deepening their traditional technologies. TOHOKU STANDARD stands for a view point from which to look at their way of living. It has been rooted, and well-established in the Tohoku region and stands out as the axis for the “Tohoku Mono-Zukuri” orientation.

The places where we introduce traditional crafts and related people will present fragmentary pictures of the present day Tohoku region. However, the definition and meaning of “How to Live Good Lives” has generally come into question. So, we feel that the ingenuity, wisdom and thought conveyed from such people and places have the potential to provide new feelings and understanding to people not only in Japan but also in the rest of the world.

From now on, we will visit and introduce several studios, factories, etc. We will document “Crafts,” “Arts,” “Food,” “Architecture,” and “Music” to begin with, and then more broadly explore the surrounding “Tohoku Mono-Zukuri” tradition, namely TOHOKU STANDARD. Through various media such as interviews, movies, books, shops, and exhibitions, we will make it available to the rest of the world from the Tohoku region. We, thereby wish to link the aesthetic consciousness and spirit that flows from the very depths of the “Tohoku Mono-Zukuri” toward the future.

If there are companies, organizations and individuals who are sympathetic to our intentions, your contact is greatly appreciated.

We will be very happy if this site sets a stage for people to learn about various aspects of the charms of Tohoku, and becomes a platform for communication among people who live in, or visit Tohoku and enables us to create a system for exchanging various points of view.