For four centuries, the town of Oha

For four centuries, the town of Ohama in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, has made lacquered chopsticks. Ohama’s lacquered chopsticks have been recognised as the hardest and most beautiful of Japanese lacquer chopsticks since the seventeenth century, when they became known as ‘Wakasa-nuri’. We designed new chopsticks in collaboration with Hashikura Matsukan, a manufacturer who continue Ohama’s traditional manufacturing techniques today. Disposable chopsticks, ‘wari-bashi’ in Japanese, are the simplest of throwaway items, and a standard feature of everyday life today in many countries. We decided to make a Wakasa-nuri version of these familiar chopsticks, with their incredibly short life-span. The chopstick sleeve is artificial leather rather than the usual paper, and pulling the chopsticks apart reveals that they’re finished in two different shades of lacquer. We hoped to create ‘wari-bashi’ that will be loved forever, through a fusion of everyday life and artisanal skill.