Starting December 1, Creation Gallery G8 and Guardian Garden—two galleries in Tokyo’s Ginza district operated by Recruit Holdings—will jointly host an exhibition of wooden “masu” boxes. The exhibition is the 2020 edition of the annual charity event known as “Creation Project.” This year’s show will take place through a collaboration involving 160 creative artists, who each designed a masu box, and artisans of Ogaki, a city of modest size located in southwestern Gifu Prefecture, who handcrafted them.

“Masu” are square wooden boxes originally developed for use as measuring utensils. They evolved into a number of standard sizes that served as units of measurement primarily for rice and other grains. Gradually, this practical role was largely replaced by other uses: for example, as attractive receptacles for small items and, quite commonly, as containers for drinking saké. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination of the user.

Masu boxes are made from hinoki, Japanese cypress, a native wood prized for its visual beauty and fragrant scent. The boxes are environmentally harmonious in that their wood components are assembled from remnants of processed lumber, i.e. no trees are cut specifically to make masu boxes. They are also cherished for the homophonic connection between “masu,” the wooden box, and “masu,” a verb meaning “to increase,” which gives the wooden masu auspicious overtones.

The city of Ogaki produces roughly 80 percent of all masu boxes made in Japan. Despite changing times and consumption patterns, even today Ogaki remains home to three major producers. Here, highly skilled artisans craft these beautiful square boxes, one by one, without use of nails, preserving the necessary technical skills and time-honored tradition. Although modern tastes have changed and there are fewer celebratory occasions when masu boxes play a propitious role, the myriad ways in which these elegant items are creatively used give them new values in our contemporary times.

The exhibition at Creation Gallery G8 and Guardian Garden will also feature masu boxes designed by children in “Creation Kids Lab 2020,” a workshop held online this August.

The items designed by the 160 participating creative artists will be available for purchase at the two galleries and online. The proceeds will be donated to the “Save the Children” charity organization for allocation to support children in families adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, children affected by the flood disasters of July 2020, etc.

We hope many people will take this opportunity to participate in this worthy charity event.