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Ojami Cushion | Second Life

The Ojami cushion is our original creation – inspired by the ancient Japanese beanbag toy called otedama – created for a more comfortable and relaxing sitting experience, on the floor or on the couch. It also provides great posture support.

This is a collection of Ojamis created from meticulously curated vintage obi belts, each piece handpicked for its unique and symbolic Japanese patterns. Every piece of obi belt is one-of-a-kind and can make limited pieces.

  • ¥25,000
Select Obi Belt

* Our craftsman will decide on how the obi belt will be cut, to bring out the best of the patterns when transformed into Ojami cushions.

** Stains, wrinkles or scratches found on the vintage obi belt are not flaws but milestone marks from being passed down from generations.

*** Quantity ordered subject to availability of fabric. We will contact you if we do not have enough fabric.

**Shipping cost will be automatically tabulated and shown at check-out.

Second Life

"Second Life" is an exemplification of the "Mottainai" spirit, seeking to breathe new life into preloved traditional Japanese garments, to spark joy again. We take vintage obi belts and transform them into relaxing products known as Kangu. This transformation not only honors the cultural heritage embedded in each piece but also allows the beauty and splendor of the obi belts to be admired and appreciated in our living space daily.

Obi belts collection

Choose your favorite piece of obi belt to create a unique and stunning piece of Ojami Cushion.

obi belt 1

This is a reversible obi belt filled with pine tree emblems. Known as "matsu", pine trees are iconic symbols that represent endurance, longevity, festivity and celebration, and eternal youth. You can choose to have your Ojami made entirely with the green or white side of the obi belt or mix the two colors up to create a duo-tone Ojami.

*Limited to only 4 pieces.

obi belt 2

This is a buddhist design of intricate floral motifs, known as housouge (宝相華文), created from an array of flowers, to symbolize elegance and spirituality.

You can choose to create an Ojami cushion using the entire floral motif or create contrast with the back of the obi belt.

*Limited to only 1 piece if made using front of obi belt.

**Limited to only 2 piece if made combining front and back of obi belt.

obi belt 3

From far, this look like a plain white obi belt with golden embroidery of floral motifs. Up close, you can however see that the white fabric is filled with beautiful woven patterns, known as "jimon"(地紋), for texture and aesthetics.

The embroidery featured on the obi belt are Spring flowers seen commonly in Japan.
Each Ojami will feature a set of the embroidered gold floral motifs.

*Limited to only 2 pieces.

obi belt 4

What makes this piece of obi belt outstanding is the creative display of the Shippo design, which traditionally is an unending chain of interconnected circles. On this obi belt, a new pattern is formed with the connected circles, adorned with flowers.

Shippo means "seven treasures", and is a reference to the seven treasures of Buddhism, made up of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, mantis shrimp, coral, and agate, representing 7 core values.

The Shippo design signifies harmony, prosperity, and good fortune.

The Ojami will be created using the Shippo pattern.

*Limited to only 1 piece.

obi belt 5

Featuring royalty colors of orange and gold, the Kanji on the front of the obi is the word "寿", which means longevity. In Japan, orange symbolizes love and happiness and in ancient times, the color was exclusive to the Crown Prince as it is a sign of prestige and status.

Choose to combine the front and back of the obi belt to create an Ojami of royal contrast or live long and prosper with the Ojami made entirely from the front of the obi belt.

*Limited to only 1 piece if made using front of obi belt.

**Limited to only 2 piece if made combining front and back of obi belt.

story of ojami

The Ojami Cushion is the brainchild of Takaokaya’s 3rd generation CEO, Koichiro Takaoka. Being particular about relaxing, he has always found it a little uncomfortable to fold the traditional zabuton cushion in half when sitting on the floor. So he wanted to revolutionize the experience of sitting down by creating a cushion that everyone can “sit comfortably by raising our bottom”, as part of his lifelong quest of pursuing the art of relaxation and creating kutsurogi products that put a smile on everyone who uses them. Inspired by the ancient Japanese beanbag toy called otedama (or ojami in the Kyoto dialect) and coupled with his many years of knowledge gained from creating kutsurogi products and making cushions, the Ojami cushion which offers unsurpassed comfort, finally came to fruition.

how to enjoy Kutsurogi

ojami cushion relaxation guide

why is the ojami so relaxing?

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