Mori Kougei Rays Round Wood Plate 14" - Ai-Urushi
Description
Where Tokushima Indigo Meets Kyoto Lacquer
An award-winning masterpiece of contemporary Japanese craft. This exceptional plate features a singular expression of ai-urushi (藍漆)—a rare, sophisticated finish that layers prized Awa indigo with natural, raw urushi lacquer. Beneath this surface, a hand-cut White Sycamore wood veneer is arranged in a radial sunburst pattern (Kōsen-bari), creating a mesmerizing interplay of light, shadow, and depth that evolves with every viewpoint.
An Award-Winning Modern Masterpiece
Celebrated for bridging ancient tradition with modern lifestyle, this piece received two prestigious accolades:
- United Arrows Award | Japan Wa-Culture Grand Prix
"A beautiful work in which skill, material, and sensibility are expressed at the highest level—and one that I can easily imagine finding its place in our customers' daily lives." — Maiko Tamura, Brand Director, TABAYA by United Arrows - Craft Award | DENTO Awards
"Advancing traditional techniques to create new value is exactly what contemporary craft most needs today... A work of high completion that brings a freshness of texture unlike anything seen before." — NPO DENTO Jury
The Convergence of Three Master Crafts
The Heritage Indigo (Awa-ai): Sourced from Tokushima, where indigo cultivation is a registered Important Intangible Cultural Heritage. The tadeai (Japanese indigo) plant is meticulously hand-cultivated, harvested, and fermented into sukumo by a single master producer.
- The Sacred Lacquer (Urushi): Applied in collaboration with the legendary Tsutsumi Asagichi Urushi-ten merchant in Kyoto. Used in Japan for over 10,000 years, natural urushi is incredibly resilient—highly resistant to heat, acids, and alkalis.
- The Living Finish: True to the soul of authentic Japanese lacquerware, the ai-urushi finish is never static. With everyday use and time, the lacquer film will steadily deepen in richness, warmth, and translucent sheen.
Details
Material: White Sycamore
Finish: Ai-urushi — Awa indigo × natural urushi lacquer
Renowned for its ripple figure, the wood's radial grain sinks deep into the sumi-urushi black, surfacing with a subtle shimmer as it catches angled light.
Dimensions: Ø 14.2" × 0.5" H (Ø 360× 12 mm)
Care
Shipping & Delivery
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Mori Kougei Rays Round Wood Plate 14" - Ai-Urushi
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About Mori Kougei
Master Veneer Craft from Tokushima, Japan
Founded in 1953 in Tokushima, a city on the island of Shikoku in southern Japan, Mori Kougei has spent over 70 years perfecting the art of Tsuki-Ita: slicing natural wood into paper-thin sheets with a blade, then reading the grain of each piece to compose it into something greater. Now in its third generation under craftsman Hiroyuki Mori, the studio carries forward a practice rooted in inherited knowledge and an acute sensitivity to wood as natural art.
Working across more than 90 wood species sourced from around the world, Mori Kougei's artisans arrange varying grains and tones into geometric compositions, including their signature Kōsen-bari technique, in which veneer triangles radiate outward from a center point. The result is a tray that shifts with the light as you tilt it, the surface appearing to glow from within.