Jin Kuramoto | Japanese Designer for Nordic Brands

Jin Kuramoto was born in 1976 on Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan — a small island whose rural, craft-based landscape shaped his approach to materials from an early age. He graduated from Kanazawa College of Art in 1999 and spent nearly a decade, from 2000 to 2008, working as an in-house designer for a Japanese electronics manufacturer, gaining a grounding in mass production and product ergonomics. In 2008 he founded Jin Kuramoto Studio in Tokyo, a practice spanning furniture, home appliances, eyewear and automobiles.

Design philosophy

Kuramoto works through repeated trial and error — touching materials, “listening to their voice,” and prototyping until what he calls “positive accidents” emerge. Central to his practice is the belief that the form of an object carries its own story. The approach has brought international recognition, including the Red Dot Award, the Good Design Award and the iF Product Design Award.

Collaborations

Kuramoto has designed several pieces for the Swedish furniture manufacturer Offecct, among them the Jin chair, which won a Red Dot “Best of the Best” distinction, along with the Wind room dividers and side table and the Maki easy chair. For HAY he designed Knit, a coat rack built from a single distinctive silhouette. He has also worked with the Danish manufacturer Sika Design on the Machiya furniture series and the Tomori, Tomos and Kou lighting collection.

Teaching and recognition

Alongside his studio practice, Kuramoto has lectured at Kanazawa College of Art, Musashino Art University, Kyoto University of Art and Design, and Keio University SFC in Tokyo, and has served on the jury for the Good Design Award in Japan, the iF Design Award in Germany and the Compasso d’Oro in Italy. He continues to work from his studio in Tokyo; more of his work can be seen at jinkuramoto.com.