Kyobashi Senbikiya UENO
Tokyo, Japan / 2019

“Mesh”

Kyobashi Senbikiya is a long-established specialist fruit store that has been in business for more than 100 years.

Each fruit is subjected to a strict control and a rigid policy of careful selection in order to provide the best quality. Especially, as far as muskmelon is concerned, this type of melon is cultivated by thinning out “one stem by one fruit”. Trough this process, during the growth time, the pressure is applied to melon mesh from the inside. At this time, the epidermis can not withstand the pressure so they crack allowing the juice inside to be blocked. It is said that the more this mesh swells and gets symmetrical on both sides – left and right – the better quality comes in.

Therefore, this time, we have attempted to focus Kyobashi store concept on a detailed melon mesh structure as a main design to the space by printing the melon mesh layers on different materials such as wood, glass and decorative boards.

In addition, regarding fruits, their color is an important and essential factor for birds and other animals to get to know when they are good to eat and how easily to find them. When fruits grow big enough and the inside seeds get steadily fuller, the fruits change their color, become softer, sweeter and smell beautifully. Deliciously-looking fruits and their beautiful scent make it easier for birds and other animals to find them and eat them. This results in transporting inside seeds further away.

Therefore, we thought whether it would be possible to visualize the color that represent the standard of taste and quality and simultaneously express the brand color of Senbikiya.

In practice, we have created a lattice grid ceiling that embodies the motif of paulownia box used to pack melon and the inside of the ceiling has been copper colored. The shiny condition of a copper plate lasts only first few months, in a half year the luster finish settles down and after several years it changes to either dark or blackish brown color. This fixed dark brown color lasts for decades and after months and years, it changes to green-blue rust shade.

In this way, by showing at the same time the green-blue rust color of Senbikiya store and the process of weathering, we have expressed company long history of more than 100 years.

Designed by Masahiro Yoshida, Daiki Sakai and Honoka Watanabe