"When you start wearing accessories that you think are cool, the distance between you and the person gradually shortens, and they blend in with the person and the time, becoming natural. I think they are a unique and interesting thing," says Shuji Kudo, designer of the accessory brand NODE BY KUDO SHUJI.
A noteworthy brand that has been permanently available at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 1F = Men's Accessories since March of this year will be starting a promotion including its latest products from July 12th (Wednesday).

I chose accessories as the most familiar medium and started making things.

Shuji Kudo appeared wearing a necklace, ring, and bangle from Node by Kudo Shuji, which were created in 2015. The brand name, NODE, means "gathering point" or "intersection of stars," and was chosen to reflect his desire to have connections and interactions with customers and other people. The jewelry brand debuted in 2013.

When asked what sparked his interest in making things, Kudo said, "There were people around me who did sculpture, and the one who influenced me the most was Tomonori Toyofuku*. I had many opportunities to see his work, and it was when I was in my early twenties that I thought, 'I want to make something myself.'"


"Sculptures and paintings are things you see in museums and galleries, but when I went to Tomonori Toyofuku's studio, I saw sculptures and works by various artists displayed there, and I felt that by matching them with everyday life, the distance between me and art became closer. There was a lightness and charm that you can only understand when it's close to everyday life, so I wanted to create things that were close to everyday life. I started making objects myself, but even when I made them, they weren't close to me, so I chose accessories as the most accessible medium and started making things."

*Tomonori Toyofuku
Born in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture in 1925. After dropping out of the Department of Japanese Literature at Kokugakuin University, he studied wood carving under sculptor Tominaga Chodo in 1946. He began exhibiting at the Shinseisaku Kyokai Exhibition in 1950. In 1959, he received the 2nd Takamura Kotaro Prize. The following year, he moved to Milan and became active in exhibitions such as the Carnegie Fair and the Venice Biennale. He received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1993 and the Order of the Rising Sun, Fourth Class in 2001. He also received the Mainichi Art Award in 1990 and the Fukuoka Prefecture Culture Award in 2005. With his unique style of drilling holes in boards, he is highly regarded internationally as a leading figure in contemporary sculpture. (Source: Fukuoka Prefectural Museum of Art website http://fukuoka-kenbi.jp/)

Page 2: It may not be immediately obvious, but these are things that the brand values.