Two different lamps get called “Akari”, and they are made in two different countries. This page answers the origin question for both, because the search results usually blur them together.
The original Noguchi Akari: Gifu, Japan
Isamu Noguchi designed the first Akari in 1951, on a trip to Gifu — a Japanese town known for its lanterns and parasols. He worked with a family workshop there, Ozeki & Co., using techniques that had been passed down for generations. Original Akari production continues in Gifu today.
So if the question is “where are Noguchi Akari lamps made”, the answer is Japan — specifically Gifu, by Ozeki & Co.
Our lamps: made in our own workshop in Sichuan, China
The lamps on this site are not Noguchi Akari and are not made in Japan. Every shade is hand-built in our own workshop in Sichuan, China, using the same flat-fold construction: bamboo ribs woven over a wooden form, washi paper glued on and left to dry, the form pulled out, the shade collapsing flat for shipping.
We are a workshop, not a trading company. We do not buy finished lamps from a wholesaler and relabel them. The three craft levels we sell — Value, Classic and Mastercraft — differ in the frame, not the paper: coated steel wire, natural bamboo with hidden joints, and bamboo tied by hand at every joint.
Why this matters when you buy
- Customs and duty. Orders ship from China with correct commercial declarations. Any duty or import tax that applies is set by your country’s customs, not by us — check before you order.
- Lead time, not stock. Lamps are made to order — 1–3 business days of handcrafting, then 4–12 business days in transit. There is no warehouse of finished shades.
- No affiliation. We are not the Noguchi brand, not Ozeki & Co., and not affiliated with the Noguchi Museum. “Akari” here describes a form and a construction method, not a maker.
If you want an original
Buy from the Noguchi Museum Shop or an authorised dealer. An original is a Gifu-made object and it is priced accordingly. What we make is a lamp of the same shape and the same construction, built to be lived with rather than collected.
More on the making process: how Akari paper lamps are made. More on the word itself: what “akari” means in Japanese.