We are now starting a new project on this blog to introduce Adachi's ukiyo-e prints that blend into modern interiors and lifestyles, and to inspire more people to discover new encounters with ukiyo-e. This is a series (updated irregularly) of interviews with people who actually display and enjoy Adachi woodblock print reproductions of ukiyo-e prints.
The first people we spoke to were Mr. and Mrs. F, who live in Chuo Ward, Tokyo.
We spoke to him about his passion for interior design and his life with ukiyo-e, staying in his newly built apartment that he moved into just six months ago.
 The F couple we spoke to this time: Mr. C (left) and Mr. K (right)
On their days off, the couple often invites their family and friends over to their home for parties. They also share a common hobby of traveling and wine, and apparently even have a wine cellar in their home! They had a great time talking about their hobbies as well as their passion for interior design.
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Carefully crafted interior of new home
Upon opening the front door, you are greeted by the lovely smiles of the couple and an ukiyo-e print by Adachi Woodblock Prints! It is Utagawa Hiroshige's "Clear Skies over Nihonbashi Bridge" framed in a natural plain wood frame.
Even though we visited in early December, the bright living room was bathed in warm sunlight, eliminating the need for heating, and Hokusai Katsushika's "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" was on display. The room is unified in a Scandinavian style, and the attention to detail in the interior can be seen everywhere.
-It's a really nice room! I'm just an amateur, but I get the impression that you put a lot of effort into the furniture and lighting. Have you worked in the interior design industry before?
C: "Not at all! The only time I've ever been involved with interior design is when I worked part-time at an interior design shop when I was a student. I ordered new furniture, like the dining table, to be made just for this move."
- I can sense your innate sense! Did you decide beforehand to hang paintings in your new home?
C: "Yes. The wall is quite large, so I thought I'd decorate it rather than leaving it bare."
K-san: "That's right. Also, in the house we were living in together, we had some modern art pieces on display, and we talked about wanting to hang them on the walls, so we thought about the lighting and other things with that in mind."
-Even the lighting!
K-san: "It's hard to tell during the day because the sunlight is so bright, but at night, the shadows become more pronounced and the atmosphere changes."
C: "So we thought we might as well hang other paintings, and started looking for some."
-I see. Have you known about Adachi Woodblock Prints' ukiyo-e prints for some time?
C: "Yes. I have used it to give gifts to friends overseas . I gave them "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" and "Red Fuji (Fine Wind, Clear Weather)" and they were very happy. I also sent some to his family."
Mr. K: "That's right. I put it up when I went back home."
C-san had previously studied abroad in the United States and Germany for a short period of time. She told us with a smile that she was very happy when a friend from her time there handed her the gift to her when she visited him and how happy he was.
"The Great Wave off Kanagawa" and "Fine Wind, Clear Sky" are always popular gifts both from within Japan and overseas at the Adachi Woodblock Prints online store, and seeing the reactions of both gift-givers and recipients provided a renewed sense of the role Adachi Woodblock Prints' ukiyo-e prints have as a communication tool that connects people's hearts .
An encounter with ukiyo-e at a Scandinavian interior shop
- Ukiyo-e prints, which have a strong Japanese image, fit in very naturally with a Western-style room with a Scandinavian feel. Were Adachi Woodblock Prints one of your options from the beginning?
C-san: "No, at first I thought that because it was a Western-style room, a strong Japanese taste might not suit it, so I was looking for a piece of contemporary art. But when I went to an interior design shop that sold Scandinavian furniture to order the furniture, there was a shop that had ukiyo-e prints on display. Also, when I was looking at properties, I saw ukiyo-e prints hanging in the entrances of Western-style apartments, and I started to think , oh, maybe it would actually go well with Scandinavian interiors ."
Mr. K: "Yes, I was also thinking that it might be interesting to incorporate Japanese elements into a Scandinavian-style room."
Scandinavian interior design and Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Adachi Woodblock Prints has previously introduced this combination as "an unexpectedly good match," but when we actually visited F-sama's home, even the Adachi Woodblock Prints staff were surprised at how well the two matched.
In recent years, it is said that interiors that combine Japanese and Nordic styles, known as "Japandi" (an interior design term combining "Japan" and "Scandi," meaning Nordic style), have been attracting attention around the world .
The elements of Scandinavian interior design, characterized by a lack of gaudy decoration and simple beauty, may be highly compatible with ukiyo-e, which is valued for its simplified beauty that eliminates waste.
We wanted to display artworks that were related to us.
What ultimately decided him to purchase the ukiyo-e was the connection between the work and his new home.
C-san: "Since our apartment is close to Nihonbashi and the Sumida River, we decided that we should decorate our house with things that have something to do with us and our home . So we visited the Adachi Woodblock prints showroom and purchased the "Nihonbashi Yukihare" painting for the entrance. It took a lot of deliberation."
K-san: "There were a lot of different Nihonbashi works."
-Of all the various works depicting Nihonbashi, why did you ultimately choose Hiroshige's "Clear Skies at Nihonbashi?"
C-san: "The deciding factor was... in the end, it was the picture I liked the most, so I chose it! (laughs)"
-You chose a plain wood frame for "Nihonbashi Yukihare." Is there any reason for that?
C-san: "I chose a plain wood frame because I thought it would blend in better with the interior of this room. It gives a completely different impression to the dark frame that's currently hanging "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" (the lacquer-like frame that Adachi Woodcuts normally provides).
Thanks to the couple's generosity, we were also able to see how the ``Nihonbashi Yukihare'' from the entrance had been displayed in the living room.
When the original painting was displayed, "The Great Wave off Kanagawa," it gave the impression of being an accent piece in the room, but in the plain wood frame it blends in better with the Nordic-style interior, giving the room a softer atmosphere.
-You also hold home parties with your friends. Do you ever get any reaction from customers about the ukiyo-e prints you have hanging?
Mr. K: " It's a conversation starter . For example, if you see an ukiyo-e print as soon as you enter the entrance, you'll realize, "Oh, it's an ukiyo-e print," and the conversation will expand like, "This is a print that was painted around here."
-I'm glad that Adachi Woodblock Prints' ukiyo-e prints have sparked conversation.
I want to continue to enjoy changing it up with the seasons.
Finally, he also talked about how he would like to enjoy ukiyo-e in the future.
K-san: "We've been talking about how it would be good to change the artworks depending on the season . I think Hiroshige's 'Ryogoku Fireworks' would be good next. That's because it's a work that depicts the Sumida River."
C-san: "I'm also interested in the works of contemporary artists produced by Adachi Woodblock Prints."
--Hiroshige's "Ryogoku Fireworks" would probably give the room a different impression.
K-san: "Just changing out the paintings, like this one from 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa', can completely change the atmosphere of a room, so it's an easy way to redecorate a room."
C-san: "Oh, you said that piece was nice too. The colors seem to match this room... it's a large piece of cherry blossoms by Hokusai."
- "Cherry Blossoms and Mt. Fuji"! Each work is set in a different season ("Cherry Blossoms and Mt. Fuji" in spring, "Ryogoku Fireworks" in summer, "Clear Snow at Nihonbashi" in winter) , so you can enjoy changing them out with the seasons. Also, they seem to blend in really well with the interior of this room.
C-san: "That's right. I think I'd like to enjoy the background of the work while also considering the balance with the interior."
K-san: "I felt that by learning about the places depicted in the works and their background, I was able to feel closer to ukiyo-e. I also think that the fact that artisans actually make them by hand is one of the attractions . I hope that we can convey this to more people, not just ourselves."
Mr. and Mrs. F talked to us about their passion for interior design and how they enjoy Ukiyo-e. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
