Origins: The Creative Spark Behind Japan's Best Product Designs

Japan has a history of combining the newest technology with clever, striking and innovative design aspects, the result of the traditional aesthetic of 'monozukuri' or "the art of making things". The unique style and efficiency of Japan's best products has earned the respect of industrial designers and consumers world-wide. This book presents 40 Japanese-designed products that have had a great impact over the last 60 years. The author Shu Hagiwara's curiosity led him on a search for those product's origins. What were the engineers thinking of when they designed the Honda Super Cub: what most consider to be the best 50cc motorcycle of all time? What flight of imagination led to mingei doyen Sori Yanagi's spectacular Butterfly Stool? What traditional craft was the inspiration for Isamu Noguchi's 'Akari' lantern? The text reveals the process from inspiration to design to product for these often elegant, witty and beautiful designs, fully expressed in stunning colour photography. 40 products: some familiar, some not. 40 ideas: some contemporary, some traditional. 40 designs: all intriguing, all inspirational, all an integral part of contemporary life in Japan.