Yamagiwa has just released a new version of Toyo Ito's popular Mayuhana lamp - Mayuhana Ma Black. "Ma," meaning "true" or "genuine," represents the new lamps darker color that is, as the company describes, "more deep and profound."
"Mayuhana Ma Black is light in darkness. It is the quintessential quality of light found in Japan that reminds me of ‘In Praise of Shadows’ by Junichiro Tanizaki," says Toyo Ito.
"Mayuhana is made by reeling string around a mold the way thread is spun off a cocoon," describes Yamagiwa. "Japanese Artisan’s hand once by one in Gunma, Northern Kanto in Japan. As they are hand-made, none of their shades are the exact same. Toyo Ito, bringing the original idea of this lamp to Yamagiwa, our design team and Toyo Ito together they designed and invested in materials. The softness of the light reminiscent of a traditional Japanese portable paper lantern (Bonbori) is enhanced by the light coming through the double and triple fiber glass shelters, and brings to mind the image of light depicted in Junichiro Tanizaki’s “In Praise of Shadows” (In-ei Raisan)."
The new lamp is now on pre-sale in international markets, and will be available in Japan in spring 2016.
