Nihonbashi Haibara

Haibara is an old washi (Japanese paper) store that has been in business for over 200 years, since it was founded in 1806 in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. In the Edo era, when it was founded, wood block-printed fans by Haibara were the fashion. Later, the store independently developed surveying record paper and other products. In that way, it has remained as a store in Nihonbashi, always incorporating the technology and spirit of the times. Over 200 years after the store was founded, its new building was built as part of the redevelopment of north side of Nihonbashi 2-chome. Drawing on Haibara’s history and attitude, we combined traditional and modern technologies in the design of the new store, taking the design concepts of “taking the tradition of a long-established business to a new generation” and “Edo beauty for a new generation.” The cladding (architecture: Nikken Sekkei) is composed of 3D tile bricks, produced by the combination of tilemaking artisans’ skills and 3D digital mold machining. The interior decor (design: Oliver Corporation, design supervision: Yasui) presents walls of large sheets of handmade washi paper and patterned paper made by Echizen washi artisans, together with polyhedral relief panels made by digital fabrication, in many areas. The patterns of the interior and exterior use the motif of colored glass, Haibara’s traditional pattern, as a symbol of Haibara’s identity. They are also intended to give the district and passers-by the feeling of “tradition and innovation in an old establishment.”