Umon ICHIBANGAI
Saitama, Japan / 2019

“Old and new”

Many of the buildings in Kawagoe Ichibangai were built after the Great Fire of Kawagoe and have been selected as important traditional buildings preservation districts as an important historical heritage that inherits the landscape of Edo.

In addition, at the Uemon Ichibangai store, tourists try tasting the freshly steamed signboard product “Imo Koi” and take a stroll with Kawagoe in one hand. We are creating and selling a variety of new products with the hope that it will take hold as a landscape.

Therefore, this time we proceeded with the design with the theme of “old and new” fusion.

Since this building is also designated as an important traditional building, all the structural parts are already used, and modern lighting is inserted into the finish gap (strain) created by many years of use, And tried to fuse the new with the light.

In addition, the furniture that has been painted with steel powder gradation and the LED lighting that extends into one piece are used as a guide sign to the interior of the store.

I hope that the “Umon Ichiban-gai store” will become a store where new history is born while valuing the history of history.

Designed by Masahiro Yoshida, Tae Fukami and Asuka Tamaru
Photos by Keisuke Miyamoto