A candle that breathes. A brass bowl that holds a sound long after you've stopped listening. At Biën; concept in the 6th arrondissement, a quietly beautiful boutique dedicated to Japanese artisans in Paris. Two Japanese craftsmanship houses are presenting work that belongs to that rare category: things made slowly, by hand, according to methods that have survived centuries precisely because nothing better has come along.
Takazawa Candle: the art of the living flame
Since 1892, Takazawa Candle has been making traditional Japanese washi candles in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, and today they are the last manufacturer still keeping this tradition alive. The candles are made from natural plant waxes: sumac, rice bran, rapeseed oil, materials used in Japanese candlemaking since long before beeswax was known to Japanese artisans. But what makes a Takazawa candle truly singular is its wick.
At a candle-making workshop led by founder Hisashi Takazawa during the pop-up, we discovered the detail that changes everything. The wick is hand-rolled from dried rushes and washi paper around a hollow core, a technique dating back centuries. That hollow centre allows oxygen to travel upward from the base of the candle, feeding the flame from within. The result is a brightness and steadiness that you simply cannot find in any candle made differently. It breathes.
Syouryu Orin: a sound that outlasts itself
Founded in 1909 in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Shimatani Shouryu Studio has been crafting orin, Japanese singing bowls, for four generations. ach is shaped from a single sheet of brass, entirely by hand. Today, the studio continues to shape each bowl through traditional metal-hammering techniques — a process that cannot be hurried and cannot be replicated by machine. Each bowl carries a sound entirely its own, shaped by the particular curve of the brass.
Syouryu Orin: a sound that outlasts itself
Located in the 6th arrondissement in Paris, Biën; boutique opened as a showroom and concept store dedicated to Japanese beauty, craft and lifestyle. The space was built around a simple but ambitious idea: to bring the full breadth of Japanese aesthetics to a Parisian audience.
Beyond beauty and skincare, Biën; carries a carefully chosen selection of Japanese craft objects — tea containers, ceramics, candles, bamboo flower baskets and other lifestyle products. The second floor hosts workshops and cultural events throughout the year, from self-massage seminars to furoshiki classes.
Biën; concept
10 rue Casimir Delavigne,
75006 Paris
The pop-up with Takazawa Candle and Syouryu Orin runs until 17 October.
The intersection of craft, art and sensory experience has always been at the heart of what Perfumato covers. If this kind of encounter interests you, you might also enjoy our piece on the olfactory art installation by Alexis Foiny — another example of how the senses can become a medium for storytelling.
