onitsuka tiger: art of the samurai tansu campaign 2010

once again, international creative agency, amsterdam worldwide, has fused the eclectic and ancient traditions of japanese art and contemporary culture of ignite fashion brand onitsuka tiger in 2010.

following the success of three previous award-winning ‘made of japan’ strategy-inspired sculptures, the centrepiece of this year’s campaign is a totem to traditional japanese tansu furniture-making: a one and a half-metre long bespoke wooden cabinet – built in the shape of a sneaker, the most ambitious onitsuka tiger project yet.

niigata-based tansu masters, ogura tansu ten, was commissioned by amsterdam worldwide to handcraft the model. the generations-old company of traditional japanese artisans is known for its distinctive ‘puzzle box’ cabinets and chests, which are the epitome of traditional japanese art and design, and lay claim to a rich and colorful history.

it took ogura-san and his team four months to build the tableau of individually crafted boxes and construct them into a sneaker shape, using 200-year-old methods dating back to the time of the samurai. the onitsuka tiger tansu sneaker is comprised of many authentic and original features. in addition to ornate ironwork and a lacquer finish, the ‘ogura tansu ten’ customized the seamless piece with secret compartments. like an intricate puzzle, these must be unlocked in a specific sequence, and those who can crack the code can access their hidden treasures.

up close of the puzzle-box

detail

the online ‘virtual sneaker’

a fully interactive, stop-motion animation ‘virtual sneaker’ online at www.onitsukatiger.com re-imagines the tansu shoe’s hand-made look and feel, replicating the craft that went into the sculpture’s construction. the website also enables users to open doors and drawers to discover a myriad of secrets and surprises about the brand, the new season’s collection, and the tansu tradition. particular content will be locked and only made available to those lucky enough to find a key or a code.

people are also invited to solve the puzzle and win exclusive prizes when the tansu sculpture tours flagship onitsuka tiger stores and design and fashion trade fairs around the world, later this year. besides print media, blogger-outreach and social media, the agency has created a collection of tansu-themed materials, including scale-models of the sculpture, limited-edition wooden business card holders, shopping bags and ornate wrapping paper.

stills of stop motion animation behind the doors and inside the drawers of the ‘virtual sneaker’

making of the hand-made japanese puzzle-box tansu sculpture:

kiri wood waiting to be used

tansu is a carpentry tradition which remains deep-rooted among authentic tansu practitioners. their distinctive boxes, cabinets and chests are considered to be the epitome of japanes art and design, with portability always having been an important characteristic. an early style was worn on the back, while another had large wheels, making it easy to move in case of fire or natural disaster. others were designed to be watertight, so they were ideal for travelling on merchant ships.

the kaiden or ‘step’ tansu, is another specialty. living space has always been limited in japan, but during the edo period, a clever combination of cabinets was designed to form steps. this meant the could both function as storage space and as a ladder. each section was designed to fit perfectly into one another, looking like an ordinary cabinet.

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