Tea

Product

Design studio

Philosophy

Knowledge and techniques cultivated over time
I have always felt a strong attraction to such things
Whenever I sense them fading,
I am overcome with impatience and sadness
It makes me feel as though a part of my body
Is being ripped away

To cherish tradition
Is to think of someone in the faraway past, someone who shaped me into who I am
Day after day
In the words we speak, in the food we eat, in the tableware we use,
There are many faceless people allowing me to be who I am
Within the vast flow, I too am merely a speck
The joy and sadness of this knowledge inspire me to create

By cherishing tradition, we give birth to a new era
Thinking of someone in the faraway future,
I am motivated to create something that can only be made at this moment
From Japan, brimming with tradition, to the world

SIMPLICITY

Shinichiro Ogata

When I was young and didn't know much about the world, I longed for Western design and travelled many countries to see them with my own eyes. However, from a certain point, I started to realize that the most amazing designs were actually those around me at home, not those overseas. Japanese culture has continually influenced Western culture and art. What could I possibly express without knowing this important fact? No matter where I went, I always came to the conclusion that I was nothing other than Japanese. This certainty became the core of my existence as a designer. To be on equal ground with the world, I realized that I needed to learn my own culture, as well as to feel compassion and be proud of my heritage.

Since then, my firm belief has never changed ? the certainty that I have a message to share. An acute sensibility and palate cultivated in an abundant yet severe natural environment; an aesthetic that can be generous or daring; an attitude towards craftsmanship that never spares any effort; wisdom of living a modest and simple life. The culture of Japan is indispensable in a world seeking balance between mankind and nature. I continually strive to express this in my own way, through food, tableware and space. It is also what lies at the core of Simplicity and its activities today.

I have only taken a small step, and there are still many things to be practiced.
Simplicity's mission is to express Japan as one way of how things can be done, and to share this with the world. Cherishing the past, the present and the future of Japan and the rest of the world.

Shinichiro Ogata

Shinichiro Ogata

Designer / Founder of SIMPLICITY

Born in Nagasaki Prefecture. Established Simplicity Co., Ltd. in 1998.
Pursuing the concept of redefining the next generation of Japanese culture and design, Ogata has developed his own establishments including the Japanese dining club and tea house Yakumo Saryo, the Japanese restaurant HIGASHI-YAMA Tokyo, the Japanese confectionery brand HIGASHIYA, and the product line S[es]. In addition to his own company’s brands, Ogata is responsible for the design and direction of a wide range of projects in architectural, interior, product, graphic, and packaging design. In 2004, he took charge of the architectural and spatial design for Sansou Murata in Yufuin. In 2008, he managed the direction and overall design for the paper tableware series WASARA. In 2011, he completed the interior and spatial design for The University Museum, the University of Tokyo’s INTERMEDIATHEQUE and was appointed Affiliate Associate Professor. Starting in 2013 with “Aēsop Kyoto,” he has taken charge of interior and spatial design for skincare brand Aēsop’s stores in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Fukuoka, and in 2014 for Hyatt Hotel’s Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills. He released his first book, HIGASHIYA (Seigensha Art Publishing, Inc.) in 2015, and his second book, Jiki-fu in 2016 (University of Tokyo Press).

WASARA, the paper tableware series for which Ogata undertook overall design and direction, won the Grand Prize and Gold Prize in the DFA Design for Asia Awards in 2009, as well as the Chicago Good Design Award in 2010, and was elected finalist in the INDEX: Award 2011 in Denmark. The JP Tower Museum INTERMEDIATHEQUE, for which he was in charge of interior and spatial design, won the Gold Prize in the JCD Design Award 2013 and the Grand Prize in the DSA Design Space Award 2013. In 2015, his product design “nuri WASARA” won the Grand Prize in the DFA Design for Asia Awards.

Concept

To inherit the tradition and keep it alive,
Is simply to innovate and adapt it to the present era
Based on traditional methods and sensibility, which Japan triumphs,
Simplicity endeavors to create the culture of the next generation
By crafting items that fit the modern day lifestyle
And offering a high quality, plentiful life to the world

Information

Press

Contact

Inquiries:
Please send your contact information,
including company name, your name, phone number and email address,
to the following email address.
* There are currently no internships or job positions available.

Simplicity Co., Ltd.

Royal Bldg. 3F, 12-8 Nibancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0084, Japan

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+81-3-6261-9260
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+81-3-6261-9263
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