RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi Wins the Gold Prize in the Design Category at the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2026
RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi Wins the Gold Prize in the Design Category at the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2026
We are deeply honored to announce that MORI KOUGEI’s RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi has received the Gold Prize in the Design Category at the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2026.
This marks the third award received by the work, following the UNITED ARROWS Award at the 5th Japan Cultural Grand Prix and the Craft Award at the 2nd DENTO Awards in 2025.
Wood, indigo, and urushi.
We are profoundly honored that a work born from natural materials with deep roots in Japanese culture, together with the veneer-laminating techniques we have refined over many years, has been recognized at an international exhibition dedicated to urushi.
The Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition: Sharing the Possibilities of Contemporary Urushi with the World
Established in 1989, the Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition is an international open-call exhibition dedicated to urushi. The 2026 exhibition marks its 14th edition.
Over the years, outstanding works have been submitted from countries and regions around the world, establishing the exhibition as a highly regarded international platform for contemporary urushi art and design.
Ishikawa Prefecture, where the exhibition is held, is home to three of Japan’s leading urushiware traditions: Wajima-nuri, Yamanaka lacquerware, and Kanazawa lacquerware. It is a region where urushi techniques and traditions have long developed within the culture of everyday life.
The exhibition aims to revitalize urushi-related industries, promote international exchange through urushi, and encourage a renewed appreciation of urushi as a material that is considerate of both people and the environment, as well as the exceptional craftsmanship associated with it.
Entries are accepted in two categories: Design and Art.
The Design Category recognizes urushi-based products suitable for commercial realization, supported by feasible production and distribution plans. The Art Category, meanwhile, focuses on artistic expression created through the use of urushi.
Following a final assessment of the physical work, RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi was selected for the Gold Prize in the Design Category.
Although it is a functional object intended for everyday use, the plate also possesses an expressive quality created by the interplay of wood grain, indigo color, and the luster of urushi. We believe this balance may have been recognized as a proposal for new possibilities in contemporary urushi.
Ai-Urushi: Born from Tokushima Indigo and Japanese Urushi
Ai-Urushi is a new expression of urushi created by combining natural indigo from Tokushima with natural raw urushi.
At MORI KOUGEI, we wanted to develop a finish that would preserve the natural beauty of wood while providing lasting durability. Through our collaboration with Tsutsumi Asakichi Urushi, founded in Kyoto in 1909, we began creating products finished with Ai-Urushi.
Urushi is the natural sap harvested from the urushi tree. Although it is a natural material, once cured it forms a strong coating with excellent water resistance and durability.
For centuries, urushi has been used to finish tableware, furniture, and works of art. One of its most distinctive qualities is the way its color and luster deepen through continued use and the passage of time.
To this material, we add indigo—an essential part of Tokushima’s cultural and craft heritage.
By combining powdered natural indigo with raw urushi, the blue of indigo merges with the natural brown tone of urushi. The result is a profound dark indigo that cannot be described as simply blue or black.
Its color and luster shift according to the intensity of the light and the viewing angle. Subtle variations inherent to natural materials also give every finished piece its own individual character.
Ai-Urushi is not simply urushi colored blue.
It is a contemporary craft expression born from the convergence of indigo cultivated in Tokushima, urushi passed down through generations in Japan, and the skill and exploration of the people who continue to engage deeply with these materials.
Kosen-Bari: Revealing the Expression of Wood Grain and Light
The radiating wood grain of RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi is created using MORI KOUGEI’s distinctive technique known as Kosen-Bari.
In this technique, sheets of natural wood veneer are precisely cut into narrow sections and assembled individually so that they radiate outward from the center.
The white sycamore veneer used for this work has a delicate figure that appears and disappears as it reflects the light.
By arranging this grain in a radial composition, the surface of the plate seems to expand with light, changing according to the viewer’s position and the direction of illumination.
Preserving the visibility of this delicate grain within the depth and luster of Ai-Urushi requires a highly sensitive fuki-urushi wiping technique.
The grain of the veneer. Indigo from Tokushima. The luster of natural urushi.
Rather than competing with one another, these elements enhance each other’s qualities, creating a plate with both quiet depth and a powerful presence.
The Possibilities of Ai-Urushi, Recognized Through Three Awards
RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi has now received the following three awards:
UNITED ARROWS Award, 5th Japan Cultural Grand Prix
Craft Award, 2nd DENTO Support Program – DENTO Awards
Gold Prize, Design Category, Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2026
Its value as an expression of Japanese culture. Its potential as a form of craft to be carried into the future. Its design quality as a contemporary urushi product.
We believe that recognition from three awards, each with a different perspective, demonstrates that RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi has been received as more than a single piece of tableware. It represents a proposal for how Japanese craftsmanship can evolve for the future.
Regional materials and inherited techniques can be passed on to the next generation not only by preserving them, but also by developing them into forms that belong in contemporary life.
MORI KOUGEI will continue to explore the possibilities of wood veneer while sharing the value of wood, indigo, and urushi with people in Japan and around the world.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Tsutsumi Asakichi Urushi, whose expertise and dedication made the development and finishing of Ai-Urushi possible; to everyone involved in the creation of this work; and to all those who continue to support MORI KOUGEI and our craftsmanship.
Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2026
Exhibition period: October 28–November 9, 2026
Venue: Shiinoki Cultural Complex, Ishikawa Prefecture
Address: 2-1-1 Hirosaka, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
All works submitted for the final assessment are scheduled to be exhibited at the venue during the exhibition period.
Official Website: Ishikawa International Urushi Exhibition 2026
Previous Awards Received by RAYS PLATE Ai-Urushi
About Ai-Urushi by MORI KOUGEI