Fifteen years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the exhibition “15 Years After: The Journey of Ishinomaki Laboratory through 15 Pieces of Furniture” looks back at the journey of Ishinomaki Laboratory, a furniture brand that emerged in Ishinomaki, Miyagi. The exhibition is currently on view at Karimoku Commons Tokyo in Nishi-Azabu.

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The exhibition introduces fifteen iconic furniture pieces that symbolize the evolution of Ishinomaki Laboratory’s design philosophy, while also presenting interview videos with people involved in community building in Ishinomaki. Through furniture and storytelling, the exhibition reveals how relationships between people, design, and place have shaped the project over time.

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Ishinomaki Laboratory began in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake. In a moment marked by uncertainty and disruption, the project started with a simple yet essential idea: to create what was needed for daily life with one’s own hands. The practice of DIY, combined with design thinking, became the foundation of the workshop’s approach to making.

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Over the past fifteen years, the city of Ishinomaki has gradually transformed, and the network surrounding Ishinomaki Laboratory has continued to expand. What began as a local initiative has since developed into a global design movement.

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Central to this evolution is the concept of “Made in Local.” Rather than producing identical objects everywhere, the idea encourages furniture to be made within the context of each place—responding to available materials, local knowledge, and the people who will ultimately use it. The philosophy first developed in Ishinomaki has since spread through collaborations with designers and manufacturers across Japan and beyond.

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The exhibition features works by designers including Keiji Ashizawa, Tomoko Azumi, Torafu Architects, Drill Design, Norm Architects, Philippe Malouin, and others. These fifteen pieces are presented not merely as products but as traces of a continuous process of thinking, testing, and refining design ideas.

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What stands out across these works is their clarity and structural honesty. Materials are used as they are, structures are straightforward, and unnecessary ornamentation is stripped away. The result is furniture that quietly reflects the relationships between people, place, and everyday life.

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Alongside the furniture, the exhibition also screens interviews with local shop owners, community members, and people involved in creative and cultural activities in Ishinomaki. Their voices add depth to the story, revealing how design can emerge from shared experience and collective effort.

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The story of Ishinomaki Laboratory is not only about recovery. Rather, it is about how design can grow from local communities and continue evolving over time.


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Fifteen years after its beginning, Ishinomaki Laboratory stands as a reminder that meaningful design often starts from a specific place—yet can resonate far beyond it.