It's deeply gratifying when people recognize my designs through their use (Oji)

NAKAHARA Shinichiro

I've always found many of Oji's designs to be excellent, so he's been a designer I've kept an eye on. His work has a Castiglioni-esque feel, and I've wanted to meet him.



MASANORI OJI

It's deeply gratifying when people recognize my designs through their use. I knew that my "Sojirushi" project with Shirakiyadenbei, a long-established broom maker, was being handled at your "Playmountain" store. I've also visited your shop since my days in Hiroshima, so it's an honor to meet you.



Nakahara

Are you originally from Hiroshima?



Oji

Yes, I'm from Hiroshima. Before moving to Tokyo, I ran a graphic design office there. I relocated my base to Tokyo five years ago.



Nakahara

So you started as a graphic designer.



Nakahara

I remember this notebook (with a pen holder). You designed this too?



Oji

I heard that the interior stylist Michiko Iwadate (deceased) would be coming to a general store in Hiroshima for a meeting. I asked the store owner to please let her use this notebook during the meeting (laughs).

She liked it and introduced me to stores in Tokyo, and the notebooks sold quite well. After that, I started designing things like hangers and kendama, and I began to want to focus on "product design," which led me to move to Tokyo.

I hadn't studied product design, nor did I have any experience in it. In that sense, this notebook served as my business card.

You've designed products for manufacturers across Japan (Nakahara)

Nakahara

What about these brass products?



Oji

These will be released this June. We created them with a casting manufacturer in Takaoka, Toyama. It started with a request to "create daily necessities." It's a workshop with about ten people, and they had been working as subcontractors for wholesalers. As orders for Buddhist altar fittings decreased, this proposal came from the manufacturer's side. These brass pieces are in their raw, cast state.



Nakahara

Does that simplify the process?





Oji

Yes. Because they are in their raw cast state, they develop character over time with use. This is a bottle opener, but I realized I didn't have one readily available. It's now one of the small pleasures of my evening drink.





Since I jumped into product design from a different field, I don't have the typical "product designer'sこだわり (kodawari -こだわり means a strong commitment or obsession with something)." This allows me to view situations more objectively. I find myself drawn to designs that do as little as possible, rather than overtly "designed" designs. I want to create new things using traditional techniques as they are. And I want to create things that will endure through long cycles. To achieve that, I want to utilize the wisdom of design.



Nakahara

I feel the same way. Design is just one means to an end.

I can't create artistic designs even if asked (Oji)

Oji

I can't create designs purely for expression. Last year, I often pondered, "What is design to me?" The answer that came to me was, "A means to foster connection." To help people who make things and people who use them connect. If they are already connected, then design isn't necessary.



Nakahara

You can't design if there's no problem to solve, right?



Oji

If there's no problem, you don't feel the need to solve it. That's why I can't create artistic designs even if asked.



Nakahara

Getting back to the beginning, what sparked your interest in design, Oji?



Oji

I was in the calligraphy club in high school. If I hadn't met my calligraphy teacher then, I don't think I would have entered this field. At first, I thought calligraphy was just about copying models. But my teacher always asked, "What do you want to write?" "Where do you want to display it?" He made me think about the final outcome. He taught me that calligraphy encompasses everything: understanding poetry, using the tools, writing, and arranging the final piece.

The influence of calligraphy has significantly impacted my graphic design and other design work. When creating a logo, I approach it like making a seal (tenkoku), and when designing packaging, I think about the frame and mounting.







Nakahara

I see. When you design, Oji, what do you focus on first? Is it the material?



Oji

Basically, I listen to what the manufacturers and workshops can do. I aim for designs that utilize the material as it is, like lightly seared bonito (tataki) in cooking – not overcooked, but not raw like sashimi either. I can't do heavily simmered designs. Even after much thought, the ideas often come to me on the plane ride home after visiting a manufacturer. That's why I call myself a "half-cooked designer" (laughs).





After the dialogue (NAKAHARA Shinichiro)