Press release
Artisano is now Kayura
The marketplace connecting Japan’s craftspeople with the world takes a new name, drawn from an old Japanese word for opening up to one another and enjoying each other’s company.
TOKYO
Artisano Inc. is delighted to announce that its online marketplace for Japanese craft, until today known as Artisano, is now Kayura. The new name, logo, and wordmark go live today on the website and across the company’s social channels. The company name, Artisano Inc. (アーティザノ株式会社), is unchanged.
“Kayura is the name we always wished we had. Every piece on our marketplace carries a maker’s life and centuries of history, and no two are ever quite the same. We wanted a name that celebrates exactly that — the play in the handmade, and the joy of sharing it across borders. Kayura says it in three characters.”
Kayura (和遊楽) is a coined word with deep roots. It begins with karaku (和楽), a Japanese expression in use since at least the 16th century for opening up to one another and enjoying each other’s company. At its heart sits 遊, asobi — literally “play” — the slight, living variation between two handmade pieces, the margin no machine can reproduce.
The three characters spell out what Kayura is for: 和 (ka) for Japan and harmony, 遊 (yu) for difference and sway, and 楽 (ra) for joy and ease. Together they describe a place where craftspeople the world has never met can tell their stories and connect directly with the people who will treasure their work.
For customers and artisans, everything they love stays right where it is. Accounts, orders, and artisan pages continue at the same address. What’s new is the look: the Kayura logo and wordmark now appear across the site, and messages from the marketplace arrive under the Kayura name.
The new logo and wordmark are available for editorial use in the media kit on the Press Room page.
About Kayura
Kayura is where Japan’s shokunin — master artisans and craftspeople — open their doors to the world. Long out of reach in small workshops and rural towns, they have rarely had a way to reach the people who would treasure their work. Kayura closes that distance, sharing not only what they make but the stories, traditions, and devotion behind it. Kayura is operated by Artisano Inc., Tokyo.