MORI KOUGEI exhibition "KOSEN" | TABAYA United Arrows

MORI KOUGEI exhibition "KOSEN"

June 12 (Fri) – June 23 (Tue), 2026 | TABAYA United Arrows

 

Starting June 12, 2026 (Friday), TABAYA United Arrows will present "MORI KOUGEI exhibition: KOSEN."

Based in Tokushima, Japan, MORI KOUGEI will exhibit and sell their work at TABAYA in Tokyo for the first time. We invite you to experience the world of kosen-bari firsthand in TABAYA's refined gallery space.

 

How It All Began

At the 5th Japan Wa-Culture Grand Prix held in 2025, MORI KOUGEI's "RAYS PLATE Round L Ai-Urushi" was honored with the United Arrows Award.

The connection made at the awards ceremony led to this solo exhibition at TABAYA United Arrows. We are deeply looking forward to presenting our work in a space that showcases Japanese craft, culture, and lifestyle with such exceptional curatorial sensibility.

 

RAYS PLATE Round L — Ai-Urushi | United Arrows Award, 5th Japan Wa-Culture Grand Prix

 

What Is Kosen-bari?

Kosen-bari is MORI KOUGEI's defining technique. Triangular pieces of veneer, cut at sharp angles, are arranged radially from a central point. As the angle of view or light shifts, the grain's shadow and shimmer change — as if light itself is radiating outward from the center.

A bundle of thinly sliced veneer is cut at precisely the same point, then arranged in sequence, radiating outward — an expression that calculation alone cannot produce. Only wood makes this possible.

 

The kosen-bari grain radiates from a single central point

 

Works on Display

This exhibition features the RaysTray and RAYS PLATE collections in two wood species: White Sycamore and Ebony. Each has a completely different character and responds to light in its own way. Please pick them up, change the angle, and discover how they shift.

 

Round RaysTray — White Sycamore S · Ebony L · Ebony S (left to right)

 

Round RaysTray L is our largest tray, measuring 440mm in diameter. This is its first presentation in Tokyo. The kosen-bari pattern spreads across a generous surface, and the visual impact is unlike any smaller piece.

There is also a structural reason why a tray of this scale calls for veneer construction. Solid wood becomes increasingly prone to warping and splitting as dimensions grow — veneer significantly reduces that risk. The larger the piece, the more meaningful the choice of veneer becomes. Whether used as a serving tray or simply placed as an object within a space, its presence is unmistakable.

Rectangle RaysTray — Ebony (top) · White Sycamore (bottom)

 

The Rectangle measures 250×365mm. It serves as a quiet stage that draws out the beauty of food placed upon it, or functions as a compositional plane within a room — reflecting light without demanding attention. For the Ebony version, walnut is used for the edge banding, framing the near-black surface with a warm border.

White Sycamore is a rare wood prized for its delicate cross-grain shimmer (chijimi). Assembled through kosen-bari, the radial grain spreads from the center like ripples on still water.

 

Round RaysTray White Sycamore — the delicate cross-grain shimmer

 

Ai-Urushi and Sumi-Urushi: Two Lacquer Finishes

The RAYS PLATE features two distinctive lacquer finishes developed by MORI KOUGEI: Ai-Urushi (indigo lacquer) and Sumi-Urushi (sumi lacquer). Both were created in collaboration with Tsutsumi Asakichi, a long-established lacquer house in Kyoto.

 

Ai-Urushi is made by blending powdered natural indigo — cultivated and processed in Tokushima — with raw urushi lacquer. The meeting of indigo blue and the warm brown of lacquer produces a depth of deep navy that is difficult to name in words.

Sumi-Urushi combines raw lacquer with shoen — a natural black pigment obtained by burning pine — yielding a deep, lustrous black with a quality all its own.

Both are applied using the fuki-urushi (wipe-lacquer) technique, building color while preserving the wood grain beneath. The grain floats faintly through the lacquer's depth — indigo or ink. No two pieces share the same expression. Each one holds a quiet discovery waiting to be found.

 

RAYS PLATE Round L Ai-Urushi — the grain floats quietly beneath the lacquer

 

RAYS PLATE Round L Sumi-Urushi — a deep black with its own distinctive gloss

 

Exhibition Information

Dates　June 12 (Fri) – June 23 (Tue), 2026

Venue　TABAYA United Arrows　1F Gallery

3-28-1 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001

Works　Rectangle RaysTray (Ebony · White Sycamore)

　　Round RaysTray S · L (Ebony · White Sycamore)

　　RAYS PLATE Round L (Ai-Urushi · Sumi-Urushi)

 

Customers who make a purchase at the gallery during the exhibition period will receive a complimentary drink ticket for use at the Café & Bar. We hope you will enjoy a moment of quiet alongside your visit.

We will be sharing updates on our website and social media. We warmly welcome you to visit TABAYA United Arrows.

 

#MORIKOUGEI　#KOSEN　#TABAYAUnitedArrows　#RaysTray　#RAYSPLATE