Saisei Kogei Exhibition 3 (再生工芸展3), the third exhibition of the Saisei Kogei (regenerative crafts) Project, will be held at Sanbunnoichi Gallery (サンブンノイチギャラリー) in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, from October 30 (Friday) to November 1 (Sunday), 2026. The project is planned and run by Okunote Inc. (株式会社オクノテ).
The theme this time is reviving a loved one's belongings through the power of traditional crafts and passing them on to the next owner. The works are based on items that company representative Shimizu (清水覚) inherited from his father, who passed away in 2024: a suit, sweater, shirt, radio, MD player, cassette player, wallet and pass case. Using traditional crafts and manufacturing techniques, these items will be reborn in forms the next owner can keep using.
The exhibition is being held as a partner program of ARTE TOKYO (東京国際文化芸術祭).
Theme: Reviving the Things Left Behind
The Saisei Kogei Project combines unwanted items, waste materials and things no longer in use with Japanese traditional crafts and manufacturing techniques to create new value. Two exhibitions have been held so far, proposing new ways of using traditional techniques that go beyond simply reusing materials.
For this third edition, the subject expands from "things with nowhere to go" to "things one cannot let go of." Clothing and everyday items left by a person who has passed away carry not only value as materials or products, but also the time and memories shared with their user. At the same time, many of them are hard for the next owner to use as they are, because of their size, design, aging or changes in how they would be used.
The exhibition does not aim to restore the belongings to like-new condition or to simply remake them into other products. Instead, it keeps the original item's shape, signs of use and memories while adding new craftsmanship, aiming to turn the items into things that can be used in daily life once again.
Made From the Belongings of the Representative's Father
The items featured in the exhibition are not waste materials collected for display. They are clothing and personal belongings that Shimizu actually inherited from his father, who passed away in 2024.
Shimizu himself is the next owner of these items. Together with artisans, he has been considering what to keep, how far to change it and what form would allow it to be used in the future. Besides the finished works, the process of reviving the belongings, including choosing the objects, talking with artisans and examining techniques, is also a key theme of the exhibition.
The suit, sweater and shirt his father wore will be handled by Katayama (片山琢満) of Katayama Noren Dyeing Workshop (片山のれん染工所). Rather than simply re-dyeing ready-made clothing, the aim is to add new colors and expressions while respecting the texture and traces of use in the original garments, turning them into clothing the next owner can wear again.
The radio, MD player and cassette player his father used will be handled by Isshiki (一色清) of Yushima Art (湯島アート). Decorative techniques passed down at Yushima Art, including gold and silver leaf sprinkling (kin-gin-haku sunago), woodblock printing and brush-drawn finishes (hakebiki), are usually applied to fusuma paper and washi. Here, they will be applied to industrial products. Adding craft expression to electronic devices whose functions and roles have changed over the years is intended to create a different kind of appreciative value and value of existence.
From Reviving Things to Reviving the Relationship Between Things and People
Earlier Saisei Kogei Project exhibitions combined unwanted items and waste materials with traditional crafts to create new uses and value. This time, by expanding the subject to things people cannot let go of, the project attempts to revive not only the objects themselves but also their relationship with the next owner.
Okunote plans to apply what it learns from the exhibition to an initiative it is considering that would connect keepsakes and treasured belongings with artisans. Rather than simple repair or remaking, it will explore the possibility of a system in which suitable techniques and artisans are matched to each item, taking into account the owner's memories and the elements they want to keep.
Event Details
- Event name: Saisei Kogei Exhibition 3 (再生工芸展3)
- Dates: October 30 (Friday) to November 1 (Sunday), 2026
- Hours: 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM (until 6:00 PM on November 1)
- Venue: Sanbunnoichi Gallery (サンブンノイチギャラリー), 6-24-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001 (原宿芳村ビル 3F)
- Admission: Free (no reservation required)
- Exhibiting artisans: Isshiki of Yushima Art, Katayama of Katayama Noren Dyeing Workshop
- Organizer: Saisei Kogei Project
- Concurrent exhibition: "matou craft," a proposal for reviving traditional crafts through digital technology and AI
