Concept
In the quiet hilltop area of Duxton hill, tucked in a cozy pedestrian street lined with traditional Straits style shophouses, a peacefully elegant gallery sits beside a heart-shaped tree.
HULS Gallery Singapore was founded in September, 2017 as a global creative company with the mission to introduce the fine Japanese crafts called “Kogei” to the world. Based on the concept of “Roots & Touch”, HULS aims to enhance the rich culture of this cosmopolitan city by sharing this unique beauty of fine Japanese craftsmanship. “Roots” describes how these ceramics, lacquerware, textile, wood and bamboo crafts are deeply native to and nurtured by the various regions of Japan, while our “Touch” philosophy encourages customers to pick up each item, to hold it up close and experience not only its appearance but its unique feel as well.
HULS Gallery represents a new style of craft gallery that serves professionals in the culinary and design industry as well as the general public. The gallery’s sophisticated interior design – elegantly modern, but infused with a deep sense of nature – reflects the best of both Singapore and Japan, making it the perfect showcase for these modern-yet-traditional works.
Over the years HULS has built up a strong rapport with a network of rising, innovative Japanese craft manufacturers and artists, which it showcases through the HULS Gallery and through KOGEI STANDARD, a bilingual online showcase for Japanese crafts. Through this network, we are also able to support our customers with various types of planning.
Integrating Japanese crafts into modern living
Japan is home to many traditional craft techniques and natural materials which are rooted in its diverse regions. These traditions have created a unique beauty in each place that is expressed through “Kogei,” or Japanese crafts.
HULS Gallery showcases more than 100 kogei items, including sake ware and tea ware, as well as glass, textile, bamboo and wood works that are available for purchase. Our mission is to introduce these special crafts to the world. We see ourselves as concierges and story tellers of kogei, giving visitors to the gallery a personal introduction to these pieces and sharing the stories behind them, and hope that this would help you appreciate and enjoy the charm of these special works.
The artisans whose work we feature build on centuries of tradition, but also bring decades of practice and their own modern sensibilities to their crafts, ensuring that their designs not just fit within but complement contemporary lifestyles. We hope that you will feel their charm as much as we do, and that they will come to enrich the moments of your everyday life.
Please visit us and enjoy the world of today’s Kogei.
Message from the founder
HULS Gallery Singapore is a gallery for Japanese crafts operated by HULS Inc., a company dedicated to introducing fine Japanese crafts to the world. Our Singapore location is the first HULS Gallery in the world.
We travel to craft production areas around Japan and talk directly with manufacturers and artists, learning their stories and gaining a deep understanding of the history, methods, and philosophies which make each one unique. Based on these relationships, the gallery displays and sells carefully selected works from these artisans who are excited to share their crafts and stories with the world.
We envision a future in which a rich cultural life takes root and flowers in cities around the world, and we hope to contribute to this process through our galleries in each place. No matter how much the world evolves or changes, having time to touch and be touched by the beauty of arts and crafts will remain an indispensable part of everyday life.
I hope this gallery will one day take root in every city of the world and contribute to the life of each place.
Yusuke Shibata/柴田裕介
Founder and CEO
Yusuke Shibata: Born in 1981. CEO and Founder of HULS Inc. based in Tokyo and Singapore. Specializing in the international business of Japanese crafts, Shibata is experienced in the planning and execution of both creative and business projects. In addition to managing all product curation for the galleries of Japanese crafts, HULS Gallery Tokyo and HULS Gallery Singapore, he is the chief editor of online resource “KOGEI STANDARD” and produces “KORAI,” an original brand of Japanese crafts.
