JAPAN CRAFT Exhibition Opens in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 20, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles Announces “JAPAN CRAFT | Art for Living, Hyakkō,” an Upcoming Exhibition Set to Illuminate the Evolving Tradition of Japanese Craft

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles has unveiled its upcoming exhibition, “JAPAN CRAFT | Art for Living, Hyakkō,” which will open on Friday, November 6, 2026, and run until Sunday, January 24, 2027. This exhibition, curated by Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd., the company behind MUJI, aims to shift the perception of Japanese craft from historical masterworks to a living, evolving daily practice. The exhibition will gather approximately 2,000 works by 123 living makers, craftspeople, and artisans, spanning a wide range of materials and techniques, including ceramics, glass, wood, leather, metal, and bamboo.

The exhibition title, “JAPAN CRAFT | Art for Living, Hyakkō,” is a nod to the term “hyakkō,” which combines the Japanese words “hyaku” (meaning “one hundred”) and “kō” (meaning “craft”). This term brings together two aspects: “hyaku” denotes vast diversity, while “kō” encompasses people, practice, and objects. The exhibition draws on the utilitarian beauty associated with the 1920s mingei (folk craft) movement, while centering the individual maker’s perspective and practices. Japan has a rich tradition of crafts such as pottery, metalworking, and urushi (Japanese lacquer). By looking beyond the finished works to the materials, techniques, places, ways of life, and ideas of the makers behind them, the exhibition reveals the diverse forms that craft takes today.

The exhibition will feature works from a wide range of materials and techniques, including ceramics, glass, wood, bamboo, metal, urushi (Japanese lacquer), and leather. The works will be displayed in one expansive gallery, without being confined by established genres or hierarchies, offering a broad view of the diversity of contemporary craft. The exhibition will also include forms of hyakkō, which will introduce some of the fundamental forms that have been passed down through Japanese craft. This will be accompanied by words of hyakkō and films that invite reflection on the exhibition’s themes, providing visitors with a deeper understanding of the makers’ perspectives and practices.

Philosophical reflections on craft will be presented through texts by four contributors: philosopher Takashi Kurata, gallerist Dai Sakamoto, design researcher Masahiro Nakamura, and artist Yūta Nakamura. Each contributor will consider the question of what craft means today from their own perspective. The exhibition will also feature a main gallery where approximately 2,000 works by 123 makers will be displayed, showcasing the diversity of contemporary craft. Additionally, visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the exhibition through an interactive library activation, featuring a mini library and a publication created specifically for the exhibition by ATELIER MUJI GINZA, a gallery operated by Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd.

To celebrate the opening of the exhibition, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles will present a special fireside chat with Takahiro Nagata, the curator of the exhibition and a member of the creative team at Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd. The conversation will explore Japanese craft, its evolution, and the challenges facing makers who sustain these practices today. For those visitors interested in bringing the work of participating makers into their daily lives, the WAZA Shop at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles will introduce a small selection of works from the artists in the exhibition, just in time for the holiday shopping season.

JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles is a place for new discoveries, offering experiences that showcase the best of Japan through its spaces and diverse programs. The exhibition, organized in collaboration with Ryohin Keikaku Co., Ltd. (MUJI), invites visitors to discover the people and processes behind the craft of Japan’s everyday life, where form and function exist in harmony. For more information, visit the JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles website and social channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn.