acoya が大切にしたいこと| What is important to us at acoya

acoya が大切にしたいこと
What is important to us at acoya

痛切な生命の優しさ、acoya
日本のあこや真珠の歴史は縄文時代（c. 14,000–300 BCE）に遡り、古来、真珠は神聖なものや、美しい人の例えとし『しらたま』として古事記、万葉集に登場している。『生命の流れのようなものの永劫、悠久に流れる生命の持続 』これを体現する美、acoya。長崎 ・琴の海（大村湾）で生まれた、着色を一切しないひとつひとつが違う そのままの美しさのあこや真珠を世界の優れたクリエーターとともに世界に伝えます。

Gentle Life with a Touch of Sorrow
The history of acoya pearls in Japan goes back to the Jomon Period (c. 14,000-300 BCE). In ancient times, pearls were considered sacred and, as “shiratama” (white spheres), were often used as a metaphor for human beauty in texts like the Kojiki and Manyoshu.“The embodiment of eternally and perpetually flowing life forces, in their very essence” – such is the beauty of acoya. Born from Nagasaki’s Ōmura Bay, which is also known as the Koto Sea, acoya pearls respect the beauty of pearls’ natural individuality and are never artificially colored.  In collaboration with some of the world’s greatest artists, we aim to share this beauty with the world.

 

acoya が大切にしたいこと| What is important to us at acoya

1．美しい循環、滋養の海を守ること。
プランクトン豊富で穏やかな美しい海にあこや貝は存在します。海が豊かであることは、森が豊かであるということ。海の水は蒸発して雨となり降り注ぎます。人はいつもこの循環の恩恵を受けて生きています。海、森、人が共存する美しい循環を生み出すことを目指します。

1.To protect the beautiful ecosystem and nourishing sea
Akoya oysters are found in a calm, plankton-rich sea. That the sea is rich means that the surrounding forests are also rich. The sea’s waters evaporate, becoming rain, which in turn nourishes the forests. Human life depends on the beneficence of this cycle. We seek a beautiful ecosystem based on the interdependence of seas, forests, and humans.

 

 

2.見えない物語に光をあてること。
生まれ育った海の環境や生産者それぞれの工夫が個性ある真珠を生みます。これは自然と人の素晴らしい共創です。丸く白い均一な真珠を是とする市場では見えなかった、環境や生産者の物語に光をあてます。

To illuminate unseen stories
Pearls with unique individual identities are born from the marriage of the sea environments where they grow and the skills of oyster farmers. They are thus the exquisite collaborative creation of humans and nature. Against a market dominated by uniformly round and white pearls, we are committed to illuminating the stories of the environment and producers of naturally unique pearls.

 

 

３.ここ琴の海から世界へつなげること。
私たちは、 良きも悪しきも未知なるものは海の彼方からやってくる、海の向こうには幸せな世界が存在していると考えます。かつて九州は様々な新しいものが１番目に到着し世界とつながっている場所でした。この琴の海からacoya は世界に繋がります。

Bringing the Koto Sea to the World
We believe that beyond the sea resides the unknown, both good and bad. We believe that a world of happiness also lies there. Kyushu was historically the place where things from elsewhere first arrived in Japan. Likewise, from the Koto Sea, acoya reaches out across the world.

 

acoya etc…

ONLINE STORE
You can purchase the items created in the acoya projects from here

Photo: Junpei Kawasaki |INO