Design Site Abask Celebrates Japanese Artisans

In 2022, Tom Chapman and Nicolas Pickaerts started Abask, a website selling items sourced from all around the world. Chapman, the co-founder of MatchesFashion, and Pickaerts, the company’s former head of e-commerce, were motivated by a desire to highlight gifted artisans from around the world and offer specially chosen design pieces that customers couldn’t find anywhere else.

Now, Abask is increasing its focus on Japanese works, adding a selection of new businesses to its roster, making the company one of the top online destinations for Japanese design. Chapman and Pickaerts meticulously researched Japanese artisans to select the most remarkable designers and brands. They even traveled to Japan to meet the artists in person and observe the way they work.

“The deliberate slowness of Japanese craftsmanship, seen in disciplines like woodworking or ceramics, mirrors the painstaking attention to detail in Japanese cuisine, where every element, from ingredient selection to presentation, is crafted with precision to deliver visual beauty and elevate the recipient’s experience,” Chapman says, when asked why Japanese design aligns so tightly with Abask. “This commitment to intentionality and care, paired with natural materials, sustainable practices, and a soothing color palette very much speaks to growing global desires for authenticity and mindfulness when it comes to making purchases.”

Here are some of the first new artists to be available on Abask.

The woven rattan baskets that Junpei Kawaguchi creates utilize hanamusubiami, a specialized flower-knot weave technique that has been used—and kept secret—by one family for eight generations. The family passed the guarded information along to Kawaguchi, who continues the tradition. “We loved this maker for preserving this rare artisanal skill while infusing spaces with beautiful objects inspired by nature,” Chapman says.

Seikado has been among the greatest creators of pewter since it opened in 1838. The workshop uses the metal to create vases, teapots, trays, and dinnerware. Chapman was thoroughly impressed by the way they “blend fluidity and strength. Their enduring legacy and subtle luster make them a cornerstone for mindful, heirloom design.”

In the 17th century, potter Ri Sanpei discovered a new type of durable porcelain that he painted in the blue and white sometsuke style. Sanpei’s work was called Arita ware and 13 generations later one of his descendants has revived the business, creating bowls and other strikingly illustrated pieces. With their raw, elemental forms, these vessels evoke ancient kilns yet feel strikingly contemporary; we chose them for their bold materiality and quiet storytelling, bridging tradition with modern restraint,” Chapman explains.

The wooden trays that Mori Kougei makes have a wabi-sabi effect, created with natural oak grain. Chapman loves the way that Kougei’s work melds the classic and the modern. “Using a multitude of different woods in spectacular geometric designs gives this very traditional craft a uniquely modern feel,” he says.

The brand Kaneko Kohyo makes pottery in the Mino tradition, which includes 15 styles and has lasted for more than 1,300 years. Abask carries its tableware, and Chapman says the line was chosen “for its understated elegance, durable glazes, and passion for supporting generational potters while delivering sustainable, heirloom-quality pieces that elevate simple rituals.”