Know What You Hold: Akari Light Sculptures

Already an established artist, Noguchi was 47 years old when he created his first Akari in the summer of 1951, after visiting Gifu, Japan. There, he encountered the traditional Gifu lantern-making craft and began exploring how this old technique could be transformed into something new.

Today, Ozeki & Co. (formerly Ozeki Jishichi Shoten), founded in 1891, continues to manufacture light sculptures in Gifu, using traditional lantern-making techniques and limited production.