Studio
Tsubame - Kyoto, Japan
Why we exist
I founded Tsubame Studio to hold onto something I felt was disappearing. In my father’s workshop in Tsubame-Sanjo, I learned that a small, well-made object can hold as much meaning as a building.
That materials have a voice, and that our job is to listen before we shape. Tsubame is my way of working against speed and excess. We release only a handful of objects at a time, each the result of close collaboration with craftsmen who share a belief in care over output.
What we make is not about novelty or the pursuit of trends. It is about creating things that live well over years – pieces that show the marks of use, and in doing so, become more themselves.
Roots and approach
I was trained as an industrial designer, but my eye and hand were shaped by the years spent in my father’s metal shop. I was drawn first to wood for its warmth, then returned to metal for its precision, and now I work in both. My approach is to strip away until only the essential form and function remain. That does not mean minimalism for its own sake – it means allowing a piece to be honest. Grain, tool marks, small irregularities: these are not flaws but signs of the work and the worker.
The name
Tsubame is both a place and a bird. Tsubame-Sanjo, in Niigata Prefecture, is home to some of Japan’s finest metalworkers. It is where my father worked, and where I learned what it means to shape something with care.
The bird – the swallow – is a seasonal visitor in Japan. It builds its nest carefully, returns each year, and lives in close relation to the places and people it chooses. I like to think the studio works in the same way.
Method
Guided by the material
Production Philosophy
We produce in small editions — rarely more than 50 to 150 pieces at a time. This keeps the work close to the craftsmen, and allows each batch to be adjusted if the material or process demands it. The studio does not work to seasonal deadlines. New objects are released only when they feel resolved. Some pieces return after years; others exist only once. By keeping production limited, we avoid waste and can hold to the highest level of detail. Every piece is handled, checked, and assembled in the studio before it leaves.
