Artist Statement
Gugi Akiyama Art director working in various creative fields, including graphic design, commercial planning and direction The most graphic ingredient in ramen is the naruto (a slice of white naruto roll made of processed fish and decorated with a pink spiral pattern). I created an alphabet with naruto , called “Naruphabet.” I developed this design with the hope of enhancing the joy of ramen for all.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Katsumi Asaba Art director, designer, and calligrapher, active in Japanese advertising and design The joy of heavy drinking starts with beer, then shōchu , then sake,and is finished off with whiskey. In my younger days, people told me that mixing drinks would lead to hangovers, but now I can take anything alcoholic within an evening. The best part is wrapping up the whole night with a bowl of ramen. I have eaten ramen in many cities, including Sapporo, Niigata, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Yokohama, and Tokyo, but I don’t have distinctive memories of the designs of the ramen bowls. Is there a unified specification across Japan for ramen bowls? To me, the patterns of the bowls should deliver some kind of message. One of my hobbies is flag semaphore, so I am sending a message through the flags. I hope some visitors will be able to decipher it.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Misa Awatsuji Graphic designer; with sister Maki Awatsuji, co-founder of all-female design company in 1995, designing for shops, hotels, environments, product packaging, and signage When I was a child, I often saw teacups decorated with the kanji (Chinese characters) for the names of fish. While I ate my sushi and watched the chef lay out the filleted fish and seafood, I would enjoy reading the fish kanji on the cups one by one. In ramen, there are so many types of broth and seemingly infinite toppings. For my bowl, instead of fish kanji , I printed two- kanji words related to ramen (I was surprised at how many different words there were). The two- kanji ramen bowl reminds me of the excitement I felt as a child eating at a restaurant.
Photo by Yusuke Nishibe
Jonathan Barnbrook British graphic designer, typographer, and filmmaker, best known for designing David Bowie's album Heathen in 2002 This design is inspired by the fact that we, and everything around us, are made up of debris from stars—from the planets in the solar system and the earth on which we are born to the people we know and love and the food we put in our mouths.When we eat food, there is an obvious change from matter into energy, and this small transformation is a symbol of the bigger transformation of energy to matter of our existence.The text on the spoon says, “everything is,” and the text on the outside of the bowl says “stardust,” completing the statement: “everything is stardust.”The circle in the center is a diagram of a star. Each concentric circle represents an element that makes up a star.These are listed at the rim of the bowl.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Alan Chan Hong Kong–based graphic designer with a long career in advertising and design My bowl is inspired by Oribe ware, one of the early ceramic styles created in the Mino region and influenced by the tea master Furuta Oribe. The free spirit and skill of Oribe ware have inspired Mino ceramic artists over the centuries. My bowl features images of a bird and a hand, motifs that represent free spirit and craftsmanship, respectively.Just as we pursue flying birds, the design encourages us to pursue new, unique possibilities for Mino ceramics.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Yoshiharu Doi Food researcher and consultant, focuses on Japanese home cooking and sustainable food culture I call this bowl “Ramen Bowl for Citizens of the Sun and Moon” because the sun and moon are the foundations of all things—nature, religious beliefs, philosophy. They exist absolutely and beyond our consciousness. We are comforted by the thought that the sun is like a mother wrapping the Earth in a blanket to keep us safe, day after day, year after year. I want to express my gratitude for this. Even without humans, night will always be replaced by day. (The ceramic artist and tea master Rosanjin used the classical Sun and Moon pattern on his large bowls.)
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Kazunari Hattori Graphic designer, working in advertising, exhibition graphics, and book and poster design For my design, I spread out a world atlas and chose seven cities where I wanted to eat ramen. These cities are presented on my bowl. I would like to have ramen in Moscow in winter, just as much as I would like to enjoy a bowl in tropical Honolulu.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Hikaru Ichijo Illustrator known for bold, colorful works incorporating pop-style printing techniques As a teenager, I did not typically eat ramen. On one occasion, however, I went out for ramen with a group of classmates from cram school and I found the dish delicious. Since then, it has been one of my favorite things to eat. I like modern, trendy ramen, but I love the traditional, no-frills versions even more. I designed a pretty bowl for some good, no-frills ramen.
Photo by Yusuke Nishibe
Junya Ishigami One of Japan’s leading architects with numerous international projects and awards, including the Venice Biennale Golden Lion Award for Best Project in 2010 To my eyes, the common pattern found on the edge of Japanese ramen bowls has always looked like ivy. Apparently, it is derived from the Chinese “thunder pattern,” but to me it is ivy. I envisioned the ivy growing and blossoming into a simple flower and designed a bowl with a large flower and spoon with a small flower. I did consider decorating the bowl with a lotus flower, but the lotus is a bit too gorgeous; I made my flower simpler to reflect the everyday quality and appeal of ramen.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Jin Katagiri Well-known actor, former member of the comedy group Rahmens, and clay artist Hi, I’m Jin Katagiri, one of the Japanese comedy duo the Rahmens. I’m the one with frizzy, ramen- like hair. Although I perform as a Rahmen, I do not eat ramen that often. I’m not comfortable with the eccentric atmosphere of ramen specialty shops. So, for this project, I aimed to create a bowl that makes you uncomfortable. First, you can see your server’s thumbs in the soup! Then, when you are about to finish the soup, you discover a bunch of crimpy hair at the bottom of bowl! But, actually, that’s not hair—it’s just my face! Did I succeed in creating a bowl full of surprises? I sincerely hope a professional ramen chef uses my bowl.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Atsuki Kikuchi Graphic designer and art director working primarily with museums and fashion brands and designing magazines and books My personal ramen preference is a thick broth with mild soy sauce flavor. But in the Tsugaru region, you can encounter an extremely dark yakiboshi (grilled, dried fish) broth with soy sauce flavor. It has a straightforward taste but is rich beyond belief. When asked whether it is appealing, my answer is inevitably “No!” Yet, every time I am in the area, I visit the noodle shop to have a bowl.This is how deep and complex a ramen experience can be.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Issay Kitagawa Graphic designer and artist working in product design, character design, and branding in Japan and overseas As an expression of gratitude for what I receive (Japanese: Itadakimasu !), I draw the Japanese gods. Japanese gods are invisible, so we cannot really draw them, but I do it anyway. In the inside bottom of the bowl, I create a god shaped like a magatama , a curved gem. Because of the location of the image, you don’t see it until you finish eating the ramen. On the renge spoon, I draw the god invisibly.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Shin Matsunaga One of Japan’s leading graphic designers, working for decades primarily in corporate identity and packaging Unless extraordinarily large, ramen bowls are not particularly impressive. Rather, bowls that are decorated simply with the restaurant business name are the most appealing to me. A new, unexplored frontier, designing a ramen bowl sounded fun at first, but it was also a challenge. Since there is no correct way to design a ramen bowl, I decided to create my signature “old man” hand-drawn-style bowl so that at least my grandchildren will like it!
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Akira Minagawa Textile and clothing designer, focusing on long-term wearability and incorporating Scandinavian elements into designs The theme of my design is to extract the colors from a bowl of ramen and to apply them all over the surface of the ceramic. Our appetite is largely stimulated by the combinations of colors in the ingredients before us. I designed the bowl so that the richly colored scenery is revealed only when you finish drinking the soup at the very end of the meal. The final product has an easy-going, gentle feeling that is appealing for all who enjoy ramen.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Yasumichi Morita One of Japan’s most prominent interior designers, with projects in London, New York, Paris, and beyond RAMEN GONNA TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! Everyone is enchanted by and drawn to ramen, as if there is a sunken city at the bottom of the soup. My wish is for the ramen culture of Japan to connect people and spread happiness around the world.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Kazufumi Nagai Designer and art director, working in company and product branding and exploring design’s ability to tackle social problems Starting as an import from China, ramen developed its own distinctive character within the noodle culture of Japan.These days ramen has gained international popularity as a new type of Japanese food. This is my Ramen Globe, symbolizing the universality of ramen.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Kazumasa Nagai Printmaker and graphic designer, co- founded Nippon Design Center in 1960 and exhibited widely in Japan and overseas So many Japanese people love ramen that it could be called the Food of the Nation. I attempted to create a bowl that ramen-loving people will find beautiful. I have also tried to make this bowl multipurpose, suitable for other food, too.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Masayoshi Nakajo One of Japan’s leading graphic designers, began career as a graphic designer for cosmetics brand Shiseido (1933 - 2021) When cooking ramen, timing is critical for boiling the broth. Even for a professional chef, ramen involves a lot of preparation, so it is easy to over-boil the broth. When I am at home, I cook extra-thick noodles, which gives me more time. When I go to a ramen restaurant, I can’t stand waiting in line, so I have various ways of dealing with that, too. I have many bowls, but none are specifically for ramen. This was a good opportunity to create a ramen bowl for myself.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Kenjiro Sano Graphic designer, art director, and creative director in the fields of advertising, book illustration, and television My bowl is called “Kintsugi Donburi.” It is inspired by kintsugi —the Japanese technique of repairing broken ceramics by gluing the joints with lacquer mixed with gold powder. My hope is that by bringing together different parts, I have created a bowl with special character— connecting various patterns and materials, such as polka dots and pin stripes. If this bowl breaks, it should be repaired with gold lacquer joints for an even more attractive object. I suggest that the fashion of pre-damaged blue jeans be extended to tableware too.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Koichi Sato Prominent graphic artist with a long, international career designing for major companies, fashion, theaters, and more (1944 - 2016) When ramen noodles expand, they become wet, soggy, and unpleasant; but when ramen culture expands throughout the world, it is a great thing. Around the bowl, I placed a string of flags of various nations. These flags give us energy, just like at the Olympic games or at a school sports day. I adjusted the colors in order to create an even more joyful, encouraging effect. No country in the world uses pink in its flag, but, interestingly, in Japan we regularly use pink in our food, such as kamaboko fish cake or naruto roll in ramen. I took the liberty of applying pink to some of the flags. We may receive some complaints from certain embassies.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
TakuSanoh Graphic designer, producer of design-related exhibitions, and co-curator of this exhibition Today, ramen bowls are changing rapidly, even as traditional ramen noodle vendors call themselves men-ya (noodle-sellers). This is part of Japan’s rough and rebellious yankii youth culture. Along with evolving tastes, classic ramen bowl graphic design is disappearing. In order to pay tribute to the traditional graphics, I designed my bowl with the “thunder pattern” (or Greek “meander pattern”) around the rim, and included a dragon and phoenix. By using these visual elements, I am emphasizing the generations that have handed down the tradition of ramen. Looking at the final product, I find that the bowl welcomes a lighter ramen with clear soup and frizzy noodles rather than a thick, muddy, pork-based broth.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Yuki Senda Artist, woodblock carver, and decorative paper pattern designer with Karacho in Kyoto Karacho is a karakami (decorative paper) store founded by Choemon I in 1624 and proudly passed down for four hundred years to its current owner, Choemon XII. More than 650 historic printing blocks are used to print traditional patterns onto Japanese handmade paper, or washi ,with unchanged techniques and sensitivity.By preserving Japanese cultural property on objects for daily life (such as fusuma paper doors, wallpaper, lanterns, and cards), karakami paper provides a sense of comfort.From the world of Karacho, I am bringing the design brilliance of karakami to ramen bowls as a contribution to global food culture.The bowl and spoon are decorated with the Chōji karakusa , or “clove arabesque,” pattern and the Kōmori kiri pattern that combines bats and paulownia leaves .
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Izumi Shiokawa Illustrator, featured in ads, books, magazines, products, and elsewhere As I gazed at the dragons on the ramen bowl, I felt the urge to join them all together in a circle.
Photo by Yusuke Nishibe
Shin Sobue Graphic designer and art director, and one of Japan’s foremost book designers I find tadpoles (Japanese: otama jakushi ) fascinating. Why do they go to the trouble of moving onto the land when they have such a comfortable life in the water? This transition seems as radical as humans trying to live in a place without air. When you are in need of inspiration, please recharge your energy with this bowl and ladle (also called otama in Japanese). What could make you happier than having a bowl of delicious ramen with your favorite frog? … Oops! I tried to make a Japanese pun; however, we're using a renge (spoon) not a “ladle.”
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Ayame Suzuki Designer working for TSDO design and part of the design team for this exhibition Today ramen is a popular dish around the world, but twenty years ago when I first lived in Florence, Italy, it was hard to find anywhere selling ramen at all. I would often eat instant noodles sent from home and reminisce about Japan. Now I have made a donburi that I can eat from while reminiscing about Italy. Enjoy eating your ramen with Venus! BuonAppetito!
Photo by Yusuke Nishibe
Tabaimo Contemporary artist known for immersive, thought- provoking video installations inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e prints In my bowl, a couple is visible now and again in the broth—revealing various relationships of a man and a woman through the ramen. No matter how the relationship of these two people develops, however, the ramen will still be delicious!
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Keiichi Tanaami Pioneer “pop” artist, active since the 1960s as a graphic designer, illustrator, video artist, and fine artist When I was in art college, my lunch was always ramen. One day as I was shoveling ramen into my mouth, a black spider descended on its thread right in front of my eyes into my bowl of soup. It struggled to survive, then died in the boiling water. When the spider stopped moving, I was so distressed that I dashed out of the noodle shop. Since this horrifying experience, I haven’t been able to eat ramen. Even now, I still can feel the shock. The design for this ramen bowl represents my long-term grudge against that spider.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Hisashi Tenmyouya Neo-Japanese-style artist, creates paintings using traditional Japanese styles and contemporary motifs Red and gold are a stylish combination for a ramen bowl.
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Yuri Uenishi Graphic designer and art director for Dentsu, Tokyo, work includes posters, logos, packaging, and branding campaigns To me, the half-sphere of a donburi bowl is like an upturned sky full of planets and constellations. After I have finished eating my ramen, as all the delicious flavors are lingering in my mouth, the universe seems to spread over the inside of the bowl. That is what this donburi is.
Photo by Yusuke Nishibe
Tadanori Yokoo Internationally renowned graphic designer, illustrator, printmaker, and painter known for bold, psychedelic style Let’s make our bones stronger by eating tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen!
Photo by Hiroshi Tsujitani (Nacasa & Partners Inc.)
Presented by JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles
Curatorial Support provided by Akira Tachibana Takahiro Tsuchida Gifu Prefectural Ceramics Research Institute Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu
Organized by TSDO Inc. Ceramic Valley Council Curation Taku Satoh, TSDO Inc. Mari Hashimoto Art Direction Taku Satoh, TSDO Inc.
Special Exhibition Assistance provided by Ceramic Park Mino Iwasaki Mokei Seizo Co., Ltd. Gifu Prefecture Tajimi City Mizunami City
Toki City Kani City
Graphic Design Ayame Suzuki, TSDO Inc. Momo Hasegawa, TSDO Inc.
Media Sponsor
Exhibition Photography Yusuke Nishibe
Ramen Bowl Photography Yusuke Nishibe Hiroshi Tsujitani, Nacasa & Partners Inc.
© JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles
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