Unrestrained Creativity Born Beyond Boundaries Junko Koshino (Designer)

Junko Koshino, one of the world's leading designers, continues to excel across diverse fields beyond fashion, including cultural exchange and fireworks design. We asked her about the source of her vitality for constantly taking on new challenges and what design means to her.

Overcoming Every Boundary and Wall to Reach "Now"

During this year's FIFA World Cup, the "JAPAN OMOTENASHI PAVILION" was set up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It showcased various aspects of Japanese culture—Japanese cuisine, traditional attire, festivals—to locals and visitors from around the world. As the pavilion's producer, I traveled to Rio myself and truly felt that Japan's "omotenashi" (hospitality) is a world-class culture to be proud of.

JAPAN! CULTURE + HYPER CULTURE (2008, Kennedy Center, Washington DC) – Produced the opening dinner and presented Japanese-style hospitality

At the same time, I reaffirmed that traditional Japanese culture can also be enjoyed and communicated in new ways suited to the times. As a member of the government's Cool Japan Promotion Council, I have proposed "Delicious Japan" and "Interesting Japan" as keywords to promote Japan's appeal. "Delicious" means not just beautiful, but conveying the depth of flavor and quality inherent in Japan as a country. Furthermore, "interesting" is written as "white face" (面が白い). This signifies that Japan possesses a free sensibility capable of being painted any color. I thought this could be another way to appeal. As a designer myself, what I have pursued is continuously applying fresh colors to a white canvas. I have consistently worked to transcend all boundaries, break down walls – in a sense, to overcome the barriers of industries and national borders. My mother's family ran a kimono shop, so I grew up surrounded by clothing. For me, that was a kind of "wall." Overcoming that wall and refining my own sense of beauty and style became the very essence of my work.

The Kishiwada Danjiri Festival, the origin of my way of life

I don't want to be confined by boundaries. I don't want to be bound by titles either. When you don't cling to titles, you can come up with interesting ideas and keep finding new ways to have fun. Every April, I collaborate with pyrotechnicians on "HANABI ILLUSION" for the Ryukyu Kaien Festival held in Okinawa. This is an event where fireworks are launched to the music of opera. It started five years ago when I casually mentioned to a local fireworks festival organizer I met by chance, "Wouldn't it be interesting to set off fireworks to opera?" I never imagined I'd be "designing" fireworks myself, but once they said, "Well then, let's do it," there was no turning back (laughs). Turning invisible music into something visible through fireworks. Suddenly, I thought of the dark night sky as a canvas. I immediately bought black drawing paper and began sketching designs for fireworks to color the night sky, matching them to the melody of Puccini's aria "Un bel dì vedremo" from the opera "Madama Butterfly" playing in my head. Looking back now, it seems reckless
But both of us were seeking something new, and there was tremendous tension. It's from that kind of environment that new things are born.

Alongside his own hand-drawn illustration inspired by the Rinpa school (top right)

My own roots and foundation lie in the "Danjiri Festival" of Kishiwada City, Osaka, where I was born and raised. It's a fierce festival where men pull the danjiri floats at full speed, sometimes even crashing through house eaves. I ran as a puller until my second year of high school. Of my three sisters, I was the only one who ran. To me, it didn't matter if you were female or male. Age or occupation didn't matter either. People of all backgrounds would click into gear with the shout of "Ready, set!" When push came to shove, we'd unite our hearts and unleash incredible power. That festival spirit is the very foundation of how I live my life.

To break free from convention, you must first discern what is conventional

If asked "What is the foundation of design?", I would answer "Organization." Organizing reveals things; organizing while seeing. It's neither addition nor subtraction. Before deciding whether to add or subtract, first organize. Clear your mind to a blank state and face the subject without preconceptions. That's where new ideas are born.

Isn't this true for all creative fields? To truly create something new, you must first discard preconceptions to gain free thinking. Imagining the future path in advance becomes a shackle to new discoveries and insights. Even if you work hard and proceed precisely according to plan, it will never surpass that plan. The plan itself becomes a "wall." Of course, gaining the freedom to break free from convention requires the experience and effort to discern what is conventional. Conventional wisdom is always about the present. Without knowing the present, you cannot see tomorrow. And nothing is more difficult than true freedom. Only when the fundamentals are solidly established can a playful spirit emerge, giving birth to unconventional, free thinking.