Shuji Nakagawa
Kyoto third-generation 'oke' cooper who modernized the traditional bentwood bucket into sculptural vessels and ice buckets.
Veronica's Take
Shuji Nakagawa, a third-generation 'oke' cooper from Kyoto, is redefining the ancient art of Japanese bentwood cooperage by transforming traditional rice buckets into sculptural masterpieces. Born in 1968, he meticulously binds cedar staves with copper—no glue allowed—elevating a thousand-year-old craft into objects of desire for Tokyo's top bars and sake enthusiasts. His work is a testament to the shokunin's relentless pursuit of perfection, blending age-old techniques with a modernist's eye for form and function. Nakagawa's ice buckets, in particular, are a dark horse hit, proving that tradition and innovation can coexist in the most unexpected ways.
He binds cedar staves with copper and not a drop of glue, coaxing the thousand-year-old rice-bucket into something a Tokyo bar would kill to chill sake in.
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Shuji Nakagawa
profileOke Cooperage
Kyoto third-generation 'oke' cooper who modernized the traditional bentwood bucket into sculptural vessels and ice buckets.
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