Shoichiro Ibushi at his Rhythmos atelier in Kagoshima, Japan   ©Rhythmos

Life, Leather & Form

Last November, we were lucky enough to step inside the Kagoshima atelier of leather artisan Shoichiro Ibushi. As he guided us through his RHYTHMOS studio, showing us hand-crafted bags, wallets, pouches and homeware, the visit quickly became much more than a simple view of his craft. Every work he presented had its own story — the naturally tanned leather, construction and finishing revealed a philosophy that is so admirable, we couldn’t help but fall in love with it all.

The grandson of a carpenter, Shoichiro grew up surrounded by creativity. A natural at working with his hands, his interest in leather craft was first sparked as a teenager by an admiration of Native American culture and spirituality.

“I realized that similar beliefs existed among the Ainu and others in Japan — that these ideas closely align with values that Japanese have long held,” he says before admitting that “at the time, though, I simply thought Native Americans were incredibly cool.”

When he began leather working as a hobby in his 20s, he saw the material as “borrowed from animals,” and a tangible connection to life. A completely self-taught artisan, Shoichiro has now been working exclusively with leather and honing his craft for 28 years.

The name Rhythmos comes from the ancient Greek word to describe the flow and movement of form — the dynamic patterns of motion seen in nature, art and life. Shoichiro explains that it needs to be remembered that leather has origins in life. Every hide, off-cut and tiny scrap at his studio is treated with reverence, a reflection of his belief that any animal that contributes to our existence and comfort deserves the utmost respect.

“If I had to describe it in one phrase,” says Shoichiro of his work, it would be “gratitude for life.”

 

Rolls of leather on display at Rhythmos, and Shoichiro explaining the construction of a leather seated stool. ©NiMi Projects

Rhythm and Flow

The objects that emerge from the Rhythmos studio are not just functional; they carry history, character and intention. To see first-hand the care Shoichiro invests in each pressing of leather and every hand stitch gave us a true sense of how his pieces are designed to not only endure daily life, but also honour their origins while aging with beauty.

“Today, leather almost always comes from livestock—animals raised for human convenience, whose lives are taken for human purposes,” Shoichiro says. “I mainly use cowhide, and a cow’s natural lifespan is around 15 to 18 years. Cattle raised for meat, however, are typically slaughtered at about a year and a half. In other words, humans take away nearly 15 years of their lifetime.”

People have been hunting, farming and eating meat for millions of years. “It doesn’t seem likely to disappear,” Shoichiro points out. He believes that transforming a by-product of the meat industry, such as leather, into long-lasting tools gives meaning to the time taken from animals.

“That time, which should have been spent living, is preserved in another form,” he says. “It continues as a leather product. This is also why repairable, hand-made work is so important.”

 

Shoichiro Ibushi's desk at Rhythmos in Kagoshima, Japan  ©Rhythmos

Hands are The Best Tools

Rhythmos’ main line pieces are all hand-sewn. For a traditional saddle stitch, needles are worked with both hands, each needle making alternating passes through hole-punched leather. Thread tension is instinctively adjusted manually.

“I don’t dismiss the use of machines,” says Shoichiro, “but when you truly want to engage with a material, there’s a saying: ‘The hands are the best tools.’ Put simply, I believe making things by hand is the best approach.”

Machine sewing could replicate the aesthetic, but not the experience, he explains. “It allows for subtle adjustments, which machines simply can’t do.” Hand-stitching allows the artisan to feel the leather beneath the fingers, sense its texture and strength, and perceive its unique irregularities. 

“Leather never closes up once a hole has been punched, so if machine-stitched thread unravels and needs to be re-sewn, the machine needle must fall into exactly the same holes,” he says. “That’s not impossible, but it’s extremely time-consuming and makes repairs expensive. The process of hand stitching to make an item and to repair it later, however, are essentially the same. It’s possible to restore an item perfectly."

“That’s why I also place great importance on simple structures designed with future repairs in mind," he adds. "As a maker, I don’t believe we should create objects that cannot be repaired."

 

A Leftover by Rhythmos round leather tray  ©Rhythmos

Leaving Nothing to Waste

All this aligns with Shoichiro’s commitment to sustainability as “an utmost important issue.”

Rhythmos’ new sister brand, LEFTOVER by RHYTHMOS is made from the offcuts and remnants of the atelier's mainline production and, he stresses, is of equal importance.

“The core concept of Leftover is the use of scrap materials — the goal is to prevent any leather from becoming waste,” he says. “In order to spread the philosophy of Rhythmos, this line up is also priced affordably, and we intentionally minimise labour wherever possible.”

Leather that would ordinarily be discarded is up-cycled and transformed into mini trays, coasters, key holders, even brooches. Even the minimal waste of the collection is repurposed and shredded into stuffing for cushions. Leftover, however, is treated no differently to Rhythmos' premium leather line up. It's all designed and hand-crafted with same attention to detail. 

Skived split leather, trimmings and blemished scraps are re-worked into small objects using traditional leather-working techniques. Discarded split leather is pressed over custom-made wooden molds into seamless, minimalist trays. Scraps are cut, folded, embossed and transformed into smart key holders and cable ties. Textured brooches and pepper mills are carved from bonded layers of leather, a technique customarily used to create stacked heels for shoes. 

“Lately, more brands have eliminated packaging altogether to conserve resources and reduce waste, which I do think is a very meaningful approach,” Shoichiro says when asked about his brand packaging. “But I also believe packaging can have its own value. One of the roles it can play is to elevate the perceived worth of an object and encourage people to treat it with more care.”

Rhythmos’ packaging includes recycled materials and its main line’s paper boxes are designed to be attractive and re-used. “We treat the box as part of the product,” says Shoichiro pointing out that each one is hand-printed with logos and manually assembled. “The Leftover series isn’t packaged, but even there, some of the brand cards are partially handmade.”

 

A sheet of leftover leather at Rhythmos  ©Rhythmos

Future of Leather Working

The leather used by Rhythmos and other craftspeople in Japan is domestically vegetable tanned, but Shoichiro notes that this doesn’t necessarily mean the cattle were raised in Japan. Livestock farming in Japan focuses on marbled beef, which often produces poorer quality hides, leaving the leather industry to rely heavily on imports.

“We know where leather is tanned, but we can’t identify the region where the cattle were raised,” says Shoichiro. “Improving these realities — such as establishing better traceability, improving breeding practices, and developing domestically sourced materials — is a major challenge.”

It’s a challenge that Shoichiro and Rhythmos is striving to address.

“It’s still a work in progress,” he says. “But I’ve begun partnering with local farms to develop traceable leather materials.”

Today, a time when efficiency and disposability is too often prioritised, Rhythmos emerges as a meditation on sustainability, craft, and such ethics. It asks us to slow down, respect nature, to value longevity over trend, and to see potential in what is usually thrown away. It reminds us that beauty often lies in the overlooked—the details, the "flaws," the backstory.

“ I think the way I approach making things may be very Japanese,” says Shoichiro, on reflection of his work. “A few years ago, I visited a leather workshop in the United States and explained my attitude toward working with life-derived materials. They laughed and said, ‘You really think about all that when you make things? Japanese people are so serious.’"

Visit the NiMi Projects Rhythmos Collection to see more of the Leftover by Rhythmos leather works.

 

Shoichiro Ibushi of Rhythmos  ©Rhythmos

Five Things to Know About Leather Craft in Japan

1. Leather has a complicated history in Japan
In pre-modern Japan, animal hide processing was considered ritually impure under Buddhist and Shinto beliefs. Its association with death made it work of marginalised communities who were considered outcasts of society. Despite the essential nature of the work, the social stigma persisted for centuries. Today, many contemporary leather makers still consciously engage with this history, approaching the material with humility and care rather than glamour.

2. Many leather artisans are self-taught
With few official leather crafting schools in Japan, many artisans develop and hone skills through self-directed learning — years of trial, repetition, and personal refinement rather than formal apprenticeship systems.

3. Leather tools are often self-customised by the maker
Dedicated artisans frequently adjust or make their own awls, knives, and molds to suit their hands and unique working styles. This personal approach helps maintain precision, control, and a tactile connection to the material.

4. Vegetable-tanned leather is chosen for its visible character
Vegetable-tanned leather tends to reveal scars, wrinkles, blemishes and variations in dye, allowing the material’s history to remain visible. For many makers, this openness is purposeful, and becomes a part of an object’s identity.

5. Signs of use and repair are often seen as a positive
In Japanese leather craft, wear and patina are embraced as part of an object’s natural life. Scratches, darkening, and uneven surfaces are viewed as traces of time and touch that add emotional depth and value. For many artisans, mending and restitching are also natural parts of a product’s lifecycle. It’s not a failure of the product. Repair allows objects to evolve, gain character, and remain functional over time.

Four Iconic Leather Styles in Japan

1. Shinki Hikaku Horsehide
A premium horsehide from Kobe, known for its thickness (1.3–1.5 mm), durability, and smooth finish, Shinki Hikaku is considered one of Japan’s finest leathers and is favoured for high-end clothing and Americana-style goods.

2. Tochigi Leather
In Tochigi, vegetable-tanned leather is produced using a meticulous 20-step process involving repeated soaking, tanning in plant extracts, and careful drying. This slow, traditional method brings out the leather’s natural texture and durability, while allowing it to develop a rich, evolving patina over time.

3. Himeji Leather
From Hyogo Prefecture, Himeji leather is famed for its smooth and supple texture, achieved through careful tanning, shaving, and finishing. Made in a historical hub for leather craftsmanship, this leather is often used for decorative and small goods.

4. Koshu Inden
A centuries-old technique from Yamanashi Prefecture that decorates deerskin with intricate lacquered patterns, Koshu Inden was originally used for samurai armor and small accessories. It is still celebrated as an example of Japan’s unique leather artistry.