A New Creative Frontier

Pioneers Ichizaemon and Toyo Morimura laid the foundations for Noritake over a century ago, setting a global standard for fine tableware through their innovative spirit. Now The Noritake Design Collection - an exciting venture that embodies their legacy - pays tribute to the trailblazers, stepping into the future of design.

Established in 1904 in Noritake, Japan, the brand quickly became renowned for mastering every stage of ceramic production, and initiating advanced benchmarks in porcelain design and durability. From the outset, the Morimura brothers envisioned an international presence, opening a general store in New York City in 1876 even before formally establishing Noritake. They conducted intensive technical studies of white European porcelain and built their own laboratory, mastering the intricate processes of selecting and mixing raw materials, and developing paints, printing techniques, and advanced firing technologies. This dedication and determination resulted in porcelain of unparalled whiteness and strength.

The Noritake Design Collection marks a transformative moment in their quest. For the first time, Noritake has joined forces with Chief Creative Director Yuichiro Hori, who draws on over a century of technical mastery in emitting a contemporary wave of creative potential. At the heart of this are a series of collaborations with the finest architects, artists, and designers in the world, bringing together Noritake’s incomparable technical expertise and individual aesthetic expression.

This strategic platform is a unique partnership of visionary minds who explore and reimagine porcelain through a fresh lens. Designers Yabu Pushelberg, Faye Toogood, Marc Newson, AB Concept, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation are already involved, and future collections will continue to introduce new perspectives and expand the boundaries of contemporary design.

This is Noritake’s passionate commitment to the future - a dynamic, continually evolving exploration of creativity that honors its rich national heritage while embracing new artistic territories.

Letter from Creative Director

I first learned about the Noritake brand when I was a child, before I even had time to think about it. In my home, I was raised immersed in Noritake tablewares, as they were always on my family’s dining table both in daily life and also for special celebrations. There continued to be a natural and nostalgic connection for me, through my life, born and growing up in Nagoya, where the Noritake brand was founded in 1904 and still based today.

When I was introduced to the opportunity to lead creative direction at Noritake, I had been living in Shanghai, away from Nagoya for over 25 years. There, I had built a global furniture brand, Stellar works, with a passion for craftsmanship and for collaborating with the highest level of designers around the world. This opportunity to join forces with Noritake motivated me to return to my roots in Nagoya and to continue to bring my same creative and business passion to this brand that has had a special meaning to me. Driving a new direction and transformation for Noritake also was inspired by the words of my father before his passing. He encouraged me to give back to Nagoya in a way that honors the city’s culture and heritage of creative innovation—and to celebrate it on a global stage.

At a pinnacle moment in Noritake’s 120 years, we have created the Noritake Design Collection with the desire to elevate the brand’s artistry and innovation to the next generation. To honor Noritake’s century old traditions and global roots, we are taking a respectful yet bold strategy to craft signature collections with exceptiona global designers who can beautifully intertwine Noritake’s legacy with their modern artistry. Designers from across the world were brought to the Nagoya headquarters, to the factories, and we also traveled to their studios and even to several of their homes to enable the most collaborative and open dialogue and development.

I have enjoyed the process to also create new branding and storytelling that is authentic and specific to Noritake, such as deciding to add ‘1904 Nagoya’. It is the first time to note Nagoya as part of the identity. Further, we created a new iconic crest to highlight the logo. The crest is a part of the Japanese tradition, where each family has a symbolic mark that is passed down to the next generations. We researched Noritakes’s earliest back stamps and found a similar crest that symbolizes the words ‘Japan’ in Kanji characters. So, we decided to modernize this original crest and show respect to the trailblazing Morimura brothers, who founded Noritake in 1904. Even before in 1876, just after Japan opened its doors to the world, the brothers set foot in New York, to open the first Japanese company, opening a store on Broadway and delivering highly crafted Japanese products to New York. Now, yet again on the other side of the globe, I feel another type of daily connection with the brand as my home in New York is very close to the original store that Morimura brothers opened. I am often passing by and reminded of their vision.

I am looking forward to seeing what kind of creative direction Noritake will take as it continues its legacy of trailblazing—into the next 100 years.

Chief Creative Director
Yuichiro Hori

Collaborations

Luxury and innovation minded designers from around the world were selected after meticulous collaboration with Noritake. Common to all collections is the approach of creating tableware that endures on the table as a sculptural display piece in daily life and long after the meal. The result is imaginative tableware collections steeped in storytelling, by Faye Toogood, Yabu Pushelberg, Marc Newson, AB Concept, plus new sets inspired from Frank Lloyd Wright`s original Imperial Hotel design archives. These new collaborations are heralding Noritake`s traditional techniques while embracing forward thinking design.

Noritake traces its earliest international roots back to 1876, where its founders, the Morimura brothers, set up a general store in New York City, and a trading company in Tokyo, driven by a vision to enrich Japan through overseas trade. In 1897, a team of engineers venture to Europe to research the craft of creating white porcelain. Upon returning in 1899, a laboratory in Nagoya is launched setting the foundation for Noritake. Later in 1904, their dream was realized upon creation of a factory in Nagoya that established the Noritake Brand and began their leadership in the modernization and artistry of Japan’s ceramic industry.

Our artisanal techniques and unique human powered processes allow for the highest design to be crafted. With attention to detail not possible by machines, we elevate each individual piece to a masterpiece. We encompass all technologies and manufacturing methods for ceramic production, including selecting and mixing raw materials, developing paints and gold for decoration, printing technology and firing technology. By blending art and science, our Kiln is tailored to diverse recipes, using a fine balance of control and high temperature adjustment. The result is a rare level of durability and whiteness.