Woodworker Akihirojin's solo exhibition "WE ARE FAMILY" will be held at BEAMS JAPAN (Shinjuku) 5th floor
2025.04.11
Starting Friday, April 18th, woodworker Akihiro Jin's solo exhibition "WE ARE FAMILY" will be held at B GALLERY B GALLERY on the 5th floor BEAMS JAPAN (Shinjuku).
At this exhibition, we will be releasing a book titled "JIN BOOK - We are family," which is filled with the history of his signature product, the jincup, as well as making our very first public appearance and Special order a specially ordered plastic jincup in BEAMS color orange.
In addition, we will be releasing "jincupAN AGAM A," which was made in a primitive anagama kiln. We have about 60 unique pieces of pottery available. In addition, we will be reproducing "NEW KIKISA" and "KIKISA COUCOU" from the wooden jincup "KIKISA" series that was produced in the past and selling them by lottery.
Please look forward to this opportunity, filled with Akihirojin's thoughts as he describes this solo exhibition as a way of giving back.
Comment by Akihirojin
When I was in my mid-20s and working as a woodworker in the countryside of Kagoshima, I had the opportunity to show my work to Akira Ishikawa.* This led to us releasing the jincup from the KIKISA series with BEAMS.
From there, the world expanded and we learned to work remotely from Kagoshima to other towns. Thanks to this, we are able to continue our own activities and manufacturing in the town of Kagoshima.
To express our gratitude, we will be releasing a one-of-a-kind ceramic item, "jincupAN AGAM A," made in a primitive pit kiln. We will also be reproducing the wooden jncup, "NEW KIKISA" and "KIKISA COUCOU" from the KIKISA series, which we created in the past with Akira Ishikawa, and selling them by lottery. Please enjoy them along with the finally completed jincup-exclusive bags, "Convenience Store Tyvek Bag" and "See-through Drawstring Bag."
We will also provide you with the steering wheel of the car that you were hiding and sneaking around with.
I am very excited to have this opportunity to give back to everyone by holding a solo exhibition! My creative motivation is exploding!
*Ishikawa Akira...Our great benefactor, stylist Ishikawa Akira.
Book: "JIN BOOK - We are family"
Price: ¥19,800 (tax included)
This time, we have become a publisher ourselves and have decided to publish a history book of jincup called "WE ARE FAMILY" (art book). Since childhood, I have loved manga and art, and grew up learning from various collections of works. In my youth, I became obsessed with historical novels, and discovered that a lot of information and stories are contained in media created in the past.
As I grew older, I started working with my father, who was a woodworker.
Through interacting with customers who continue to use the furniture we make as part of their lives with an overwhelming sense of familiarity, we have come to realise that "using" a piece of furniture is an experience that is given to all five senses, and that this brings happiness to our customers.
Is it possible to incorporate both "information and stories" and "experiences," which at first glance seem completely unrelated, into a work? Wouldn't this make users happy?
My continued efforts to create works through the publication of the "catalog" medium are also a challenge to this end.
To commemorate the publication, I have redesigned "jincup1st," which I created as a gift for my mother in 2007, to create the current version 17 years later called "jincupMOTHER." It will only be sold as a set with the book.
At the same time, we also propose the wooden book cover "BOOKSUIT" as an art piece.
The bookshelf, a place filled with each individual's identity, is likened to a personal gallery, from which the Jincup handle pops out.
It shows how input information changes form and is output in the real world.
This publication is intended to make Jincup users happy by sharing the story of "Jincup." We hope that your Jincup experience will become a page in the story of your life.
"WE ARE FAMILY" (2025, Akihirojin)
jincup new
Price: ¥16,500 (tax included)
Color: Orange (BEAMS exclusive)
When I was given the theme of the Gin Cup of the Future, the first thing I thought about was the reality that if things continue as they are, there will be fewer trees in 100 years than there are now. As environmental issues become more and more real, if I get involved, it's natural to think not about rejecting plastic, but about developing sustainable biomass plastic because I want to enjoy the benefits of plastic. If 100 people who say "No to plastic!" and 100 people who say "New plastic is interesting!" get together, the direction of their energy is completely different, and I prefer the latter. If it's a matter of not making things and a person who makes things, I want to think about what I can do by affirming it from the perspective of the person who makes things.
So, I started by making actual cups out of plastic.
At the beginning of 2024, we carved out a block of plastic to make the first sample, and at the end of 2024, we printed it out on a 3D printer.And now, we have created the 2025 mold.
As a model for BEAMS, a long-time friend of mine, I will be presenting BEAMS orange "jincup anew-Orange" at this solo exhibition.
Now, what will happen next?
I would be happy if I could think about the future together with you, who has picked up this book.
(2025 Akihirojin)
jincup AN AGAM A
Price: ¥33,000 and up
In a secret place in the mountains of Minami Satsuma, there is a huge pottery anagama kiln. Last year, Akihirojin and Kido Yusuke were invited to this kiln to fire their works. Anagama is a primitive pottery kiln, and the fire opening, firing chamber, and chimney are all in one room, so the smoke and ash from burning firewood falls on the pottery, melts at high temperatures of over 1300 degrees, and turns into glaze and adheres to the pottery on the spot. Wood burns and turns into ash Ash melts at a temperature of 1300 degrees, and most of it turns into smoke and leaves the chimney, but only a small amount of glass settles on the spot and remains on the pottery as glaze. Inside the kiln, various airways are created toward the chimney by the rising air currents caused by the fire, and they move in ways that are very unpredictable for humans, so the temperature and the way the ash is covered are different in each part of the kiln. These differences create a variety of expressions in color and texture. This kiln is fired for three days and three nights, with firewood equivalent to five old houses. (Momijiki only) Mr. Tsuruta is a super giver who has been managing this place for 30 years. He says, "My happiness is seeing everyone gather and have a good time." It is because of Mr. Tsuruta's personality and the heavy machinery and dump trucks he owns for his main job that people and firewood for five old houses gather. We are also one of those who gathered, drawn by Mr. Tsuruta's personality and the energy of the kiln. We take turns to light the firewood, and adjust the temperature by looking at the color of the fire, relying on our senses rather than a thermometer. We unload the big firewood from the dump truck together with everyone who has gathered. Someone busily prepares meals for everyone, and when it's time, we all gather around the table. Mr. Ueno, a potter who has been managing the kiln all night, collapses. Men and women of all ages and genders, laughing together, we quickly become friends. Fire is something that has been used in human history since before words. People who gather around the huge flames around the anagama kiln become friends. It's like a primitive festival. Using that fire, Jomon and Yayoi pottery are made, and in recent years, potters have divided the rooms in climbing kilns in order to reproduce them, and devised ways to prevent ash from getting on the pottery. However, that doesn't matter to the men of Minamisatsuma. They dedicate several months of their time to searching for something that cannot be reproduced. "This is also a way of processing wood," thought neo woodworker Akihirojin as he fired huge firewood in the anagama kiln. At this solo exhibition, he will be selling his favorite jincups that have been fired in this anagama kiln. Please enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
(2025 Akihirojin / ONE KILN Kido Yusuke)
[Lottery sale items]
NEW KIKISA Price: ¥25,300-(tax in)
COUCOU Price: ¥15,400-(tax in)
*Applications will be accepted via the QR code displayed in B gallery during the event.
In 2007, when I was in my 20s and working as a woodworker in the countryside of Kagoshima, I met the stylist Akira Ishikawa.
"The cup is nice!"
This was the start of a conversation where someone asked me, "Let's make something together."
"Apparel," "Devilish," and "Easy to use."
We are given a theme like this, and then we send a prototype made in Kagoshima to Tokyo, where they look at it and we communicate via email.
Ishikawa doesn't say "Make this," but simply conveys the image he has in mind, so we expand on it, create a prototype, and share photos of it.
I sent them the actual item right away and they looked at it, and we continued to exchange emails to move forward.
"Let's make model Kiki our friend!"
Ishikawa gradually drew those around her in, and we decided to go by the name "kikisa."
There were several possibilities for where to release the product, but it was decided to release it at "Tokyo Culture by BEAMS" in BEAMS Harajuku.
"Let's put on a bag."
We made the bag by making a stamp out of the graphic designed by Eto-san of Papier Lab and pressing it onto a Tyvek bag.
"Let's sell 50 units in a year."
We took our time with the release, but it sold out within three days of its release date.
People who saw the magazine featuring us contacted us and some even came to buy the products in person, but most people preferred to order online, and the staff at Tokyo Culture by BEAMS worked hard to confirm payments and ship the products.
After releasing 50 units three times over the course of about a year, it was decided to create a new Kikisa.
The name was "kikisa coucou" and the very small cup was also attached to a bag. Fredrick Packers made bags for the cups and pressed the potato plates made by Kiki into them for sale. Next, we made lacquer kikisa. In the same way, we also made SF (spoon and fork) and "styled" the woodworker Akihirojin to the world.
Later, when I created our own catalog and started wholesale sales, we were dealing in a variety of products in the kikisa series, so I used the name "jincup" that Ishikawa had started to use to distinguish them.
When I had a solo exhibition at Tokyo Culture Art by BEAMS, he also came up with the title for the exhibition.
Time passed, and in 2016, BEAMS JAPAN opened in Shinjuku, and Tokyo Culture Art by BEAMS was scheduled to move to the 4th floor.
"Let's make various jincups that Jin-kun wants to make in preparation for the opening of BEAMS JAPAN."
We were approached in this way and proposed about five new Jincup prototypes.
"Let's do them all!" So I made as many of each of the jincups as I could: "NEW KIKISA", "jincup goblet 'jincup Ashura'", "ceramic kikisa" and "leather & jincup". Thank you.
As I hold my exhibition at B GALLERY on the 5th floor BEAMS JAPAN, Ishikawa is the person I most want to work with.
"kikisa coucou" in 2008
"NEW KIKISA" in 2016
These will be sold in limited quantities by lottery.
We have also completed a small number of new bags that we have been working on together for the past year and a half. The body was made by Fredrick Packers and features graphics by Papier Lab's Eto.
This is first come first served.
I have been styled by Mr. Ishikawa for a long time. (2025 Akihirojin)
Akihirojin solo exhibition "WE ARE FAMILY"
Akihirojin solo exhibition
"WE ARE FAMILY"
- Event period
- April 18th (Friday) – May 11th (Sunday), 2025
- Holding store
- BEAMS JAPAN (Shinjuku) 5th floor "B GALLERY"
Akihirojin
Representative of Akihiro Woodworks, a woodworking group based in Kagoshima. They contribute to society by using wood from nearby mountains to create shapes and create value. They continue to expand the scope of their activities, from developing original products such as "jincup," making furniture, and interior design for stores and homes to presenting sculptures and installation works. If you make good things, more people will use good things. To continue doing this. I believe that this is the only thing we can do to move towards a better future. A journey to find the standard of good things, for yourself and for you.