Wabi-sabi black, engraving the soul of the samurai
Higo inlay, a traditional technique that has been passed down in Kumamoto Prefecture for over 400 years, is a uniquely Japanese gold craft that originated in sword tsuba.
It began as a culture of craftsmen fostered by Kato Kiyomasa in the Warring States period with the aim of improving the skills of his feudal retainers, and later Miyamoto Musashi bestowed aesthetic sense and spirituality on it, and its design was refined as a place that embodied the soul of the samurai.
The core of Higo Zogan is the unique process of embedding gold or silver in an iron base, polishing it, and then dyeing it black with tea. This technique uses the astringency of tea to "develop" the iron into a deep black, and over time it gains depth and changes into a tranquil black that embodies the elegance of wabi-sabi.
The black is not just a color, but a symbol of "white space," "space," and "tranquility of the mind," embodying the ancient Japanese aesthetic.
The determination and pride that the samurai placed in the tsuba, and the breath of craftsmanship that Kumamoto has continued to preserve.
Higo Zogan is a "living culture" that has passed down 400 years of history and spirit to the present day.
Skill and soul are certainly present in the depths of black.
400 years of craftsmanship transformed into contemporary forms
The aesthetics and wabi-sabi sensibility found in the tsuba of a sword, a culture of Kumamoto that has been passed down since the time of Miyamoto Musashi and Kato Kiyomasa, are part of the culture. By preserving the essence of these elements and reconstructing them into everyday accessories such as belt buckles and earrings, we are paving a new path of "inheritance, innovation and development."
Particularly symbolic is the unique process of Higo Zogan, in which iron is dyed black with tea .
The astringency of the tea sinks deep into the iron, changing its luster over time and imbuing it with a quiet power. This is the spirit of "ma" and "wabi-sabi" that is common to the tea ceremony, and it is a process of cultivating a "breathing black" rather than a color.
96KURo-design® is a brand that has pursued the aesthetics of black and is therefore able to refine the spiritual essence of Higo Zogan into contemporary design. These decorations are not just accessories; they are a way of carrying Japanese culture in your hands. There, a "new story of black" truly comes to life, where tradition and innovation intersect .
