above Tsuboi’s Sakurasaku glasses leave a water mark in the shape of a cherry blossom. right The ingenious Lamp/Lamp lightbulb
Japanese designer Hironao
Tsuboi spent four years at Tama
University in Tokyo. But the
most important lessons he applies to his
work were learned amid the forests, water-
falls, and traditional architecture of the Izu
Peninsula, 60 miles west of the capital, where
for seven months he studied to be a monk.
“During my Buddhist training, I came to see everyday things, such as sitting down on a chair, in a special way,” says Tsuboi, 29, his once shaved head now sporting rock-star locks. “If our daily life is white, Buddhist training could be said to be pure black. So simple things began to stand out.”
In 2006, Tsuboi’s brother, Nobukuni, launched the Tokyo design firm 100% Inc. to provide a platform for his younger sibling’s creations. Tsuboi’s Stand Umbrella, which can rest vertically on its three-pronged tip, was an instant hit, and his Lamp/Lamp—an ingenious lightbulb that, thanks to a second bayonet mount, appears not to be screwed in—was quickly circulated on the design blogs, stirring up international interest.
“When people see the Lamp/Lamp, they intuitively understand it,” Tsuboi says. “ Appreciation of beauty is what makes human beings truly human. So it’s important to lead people to that state.”
For all his idealism, Tsuboi’s designs are the opposite of ethereal: His Sakurasaku glass tumblers leave a cherry-blossom–shaped condensation mark on a table, and his Straw vase bends to the shape of a stem. Based on the Buddhist concept of ku—nothingness— his Soup cell phone, being considered by Japanese phone manufacturer AU, appears to be a minimalist cuboid thanks to hidden buttons and a clever white screen.
At an age when many designers are still trying to establish themselves, Tsuboi is being courted by major brands in Japan, Italy, and the U.S. But he doesn’t seek global domination, he just wants to share a few things learned amid Izu’s greenery. www.100per.com — GORDON KANKI KNIGHT
LOCATION: Tokyo / BEST-KNOWN DESIGN: Lamp/Lamp lightbulb / BIGGEST CREATIVE INSPIRATION: Feelings / GOAL FOR THE YEAR 2020:
“I could be a politician, I could be a writer—I’ll go wherever my feelings pull me.” / WOULD RATHER DIE THAN DESIGN...:
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