Isetan Shinjuku will be selling tableware from KUTANI SEAL, a brand that adds a fashionable touch to Ishikawa Prefecture's traditional craft, Kutani ware, with original stickers, at Center Park/The Stage 3 on the third floor of the main building, from December 26th to January 6th, 2015, with themes of welcoming the New Year and the zodiac.
Kutani Seal is a workshop brand launched in 2009 by Kutani ware pottery manufacturer Kamide Choemon Kiln and Maruwakaya, a producer of Japanese craftsmanship. The brand is planning products using "transfer technology" with the theme of "bringing Kutani ware closer to everyone." The sales period at the venue will be divided into two parts, with a focus on tableware and other items used during the New Year (Part 1: December 26th to December 31st / Part 2: January 2nd to January 6th, 2015). Part 1 will be themed "New Year's Preparations" and will feature tableware used during New Year's cuisine, such as a two-tiered bento box (20,000 yen) featuring the 2015 zodiac sign, the sheep, a 3-inch plum-shaped small plate (3,500 yen), soba cups (4,000 yen), a teapot (10,000 yen), and a toso set (25,000 yen), as well as rakes (large size: 36,000 yen, small size: 6,000 yen), all of which will be sold exclusively at the store.
The theme of Part 2 will be "Enjoying the New Year," adding an element of entertainment to the venue. Capsules containing chopstick rests and fortune slips (1,000 yen each, tax included) will be available, as well as small plates (1,200 yen) and flower-shaped plates (1,600 yen) with a Fukuwarai motif. The products featured in Part 1 will also be available in Part 2.
According to the brand, "Kutani ware is traditionally painted by artisans with a brush, but there is a technology that allows pre-printed patterns to be attached to vessels like stickers and mass-produced. It is possible to reproduce artisanal painting at low cost, but conversely, there are also expressions that can only be achieved by transfer printing, and Kutani Stickers was an attempt to play around with this."
