DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN

Yamanobe, Yamagata Prefecture

What does design mean to you?

It's a switch that makes both users and creators happy.

For the creator, a sense of satisfaction is very important.

But design must also satisfy people and society at large.

Minagawa is in Yamanobe, in Yamagata Prefecture.

A carpet company here was established around 90 years ago.

Everything from yarn-making to weaving is done by hand.

Here's a finished piece.

Dantsu: Thick, hand-woven carpets

The workshop was founded in 1935, when experts from China were invited here.

The idea was to build an industry that could operate in snowy winters.

For large carpets we have 3-4 people all working together.

Sometimes we can only do 1 cm a day, so the whole thing takes 18 months.

The colors are specified by a design divided into 4 mm squares.

The allure of handmade goods dwells deep inside, not in surface beauty.

Items like that are now rare in our mechanized world.

When using a product, you feel you want to thank the maker.

It's a feeling that only work like this can provide.

The company's carpets have been
installed in prestigious locations.

After seeing the process, Minagawa
works on a collaborative piece.

Minagawa's design
[Drawn with colored pencils]

The pattern makes use of faded colors and irregular lines.

Our society is becoming more homogenous and rational.

Inconsistency and irregularity make living spaces more relaxing.

A special technique is employed to create a prototype with these values.

It involves dying the threads into blocks of different colors.

They bleed, creating a faded texture.

I can't imagine what the finished carpet will look like.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the finished article.

The completed dantsu carpet

A faded quality is one of the most difficult things to express.

But life is all about chance. An analog feeling is essential.

I see design as organic. A living creature.

I'd like design to showcase a sense of serendipity.