mute: soji

‘soji’ by mute

japanese design studio mute believes in producing products that are ordinary tools used in daily life, not creating for decoration or solely for use on a special day. their project ‘soji’ explores the craft traditions of yamanaka-shikki (japanese lacquer ware) and the development of this technique that is focused on the technology of making great wooden objects.

‘soji’ is a series of daily use items which exhibit the natural beauty of the wood in which they are made. yamanaka is famous for its carving wheel called ‘rokuro’, which was used to produce the collection of housewares that consists of sara (plate), hako (stacking case), wan (bowl), tutu (canister). each piece is made from sen (castor aralia) and is produced by unomatudo.

‘soji’ wan

the bowls are ideal for serving wet and dry foods

‘soji’ sara

the wooden plates in use

‘soji’ tutu

the wooden canisters are good for storing loose leaf tea

‘soji’ hako

the stacking cases can be used for storing and organizing small household objects