Hokore Pendant
Designed by Toshiyuki Tani
Hokore means proud in Japanese, and the form follows: tiers of curved bamboo ribs sweeping outward and overlapping, like a flower bud caught in the act of opening. It is handcrafted from nearly a thousand fine bamboo strips in the traditional Suruga takesensuji craft - a technique of round, hair-fine bamboo, worked one strip at a time.
There is no shade: the structure is left open, so light passes between the lines and Hokore casts a sculptural play of light and shadow across the room.
Handcrafted in Japan by local bamboo masters.
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Hokore is built from nearly a thousand bamboo strips. They are worked in Suruga takesensuji zaiku - the bamboo craft of Shizuoka, whose name means "a thousand fine lines" - a technique unlike other Japanese bamboo work in using round strips rather than flat ones, each split, bent and assembled by hand. It is a centuries-old craft, once used for insect cages and paper lanterns, and it takes years to learn.
Here that heritage is turned to light. The strips are gathered into fans, each held between slim bamboo cross-pieces, and the fans are layered in overlapping tiers that sweep outward, the blooming form that gives Hokore its name. Nothing encloses it: with no shade or diffuser, light passes straight between the lines, so Hokore draws as much shadow as it gives glow.
Lit, the bamboo takes up the light rather than blocking it: the fine strips glow amber against the darker air between them, so the whole structure reads as layered lines of light.
Hokore invites the hand as much as the eye. The Suruga craft uses round strips rather than flat ones, so every line stands slightly proud - a surface of fine, even ridges that is a pleasure to run a hand across. And as the bamboo ambers with use, the piece keeps a quiet record of the years it has been lived with.
Hokore is made in Japan by Toshiyuki Tani together with bamboo masters. Its companion piece, Sen, is made from six hundred strips in the same craft.
The play of the light and shadow will add a sculptural and cozy feeling into any room.
- Shade: Nearly 1,000 fine round bamboo strips, split, bent and assembled by hand in the traditional Suruga takesensuji craft
- White textile cord (3 metres)
As a natural material, the bamboo will develop a traditional amber hue over time. When used in a room with high ventilation or with lots of sunlight, the amber color will appear sooner.
Each pendant may vary slightly in appearance. Colors shown on screen may vary slightly from the actual product.
- Width: 46 cm
- Height: 25.8 cm
- Depth: 56 cm
- Weight: 395 g
- Recommended bulb: clear, warm-white, around 800 lumens (equivalent to a traditional 60W bulb; roughly 7–9W as an LED) - a clear bulb gives the crisp shadow the structure is made for (not included)
Hokore is shipped in a solid outer box.
Dust can be removed from the shade using a soft dry cloth or a vacuum cleaner with a soft brush attachment.
The craftsmanship of
Takesensuji
Takesensuji is a heritage technique once used to make insect cages and paper lanterns in Japan. Each lamp in Tani's collection is built from nearly 1,000 bamboo strips, handcrafted together with masters who carry this knowledge in their hands.
Tani believes Japanese craftsmanship is defined by three qualities: delicacy, dexterity and persistence. His work is an act of preservation - not by keeping craft frozen in the past, but by bringing it forward into spaces where people can encounter it, live with it and come to care for it.
“The motif of this work is a celebration of the strength of the flower bud growing into full bloom.”
Designed by
Toshiyuki Tani
A Japanese designer and craftsman, Toshiyuki Tani bridges centuries-old bamboo traditions and contemporary design. His work is defined by a deep reverence for natural form, the hands that shape it, and the light that moves through it.