Fores
Mino Washi lighting from Gifu — Japanese paper lanterns carrying a 1,300-year paper-making tradition.
Fores is a lighting brand by Hayashi Kougei Co., Ltd., based in Gifu City — home to the Gifu Lantern, one of Japan's most celebrated traditional craft objects, and to the Mino Washi paper tradition with roots stretching over 1,300 years. Fores produces andon (Japanese paper lanterns) and architectural lighting fixtures using Mino Washi — a fine, strong, translucent handmade paper that diffuses light with the characteristic warmth and softness impossible to replicate with synthetic materials. The brand's products range from floor-standing andon in the traditional Japanese form to contemporary ceiling and pendant lights that bring the qualities of handmade Japanese paper into modern interior contexts.
PROFILE Company & Brand Story
Gifu City has been a center of Japanese paper lantern production for centuries. The Gifu Lantern — chochin — is recognized as one of Japan's representative craft objects, combining the structural ingenuity of a bamboo or metal frame with the luminous qualities of washi paper. Gifu's lantern tradition developed alongside the Mino region's paper-making industry, which produces Mino Washi — a paper with 1,300 years of documented history and the distinctive combination of fineness, strength, and translucency that makes it ideal for lighting applications.
Mino Washi is among Japan's most historically significant paper traditions. Produced from kozo (mulberry) fiber in the Mino region of Gifu Prefecture, it achieves a translucency and surface quality through hand-papermaking processes that machine-made papers cannot replicate. When light passes through Mino Washi, it is diffused and softened — not simply transmitted — creating the warm, enveloping quality of light associated with traditional Japanese interior spaces.
Fores by Hayashi Kougei applies Mino Washi to both traditional and contemporary lighting forms. The Michiyuki Andon follows the traditional Japanese standing lantern form — a paper-faced rectangular or cylindrical light that stands on the floor or a surface, casting soft directional illumination. The PAPER STONE series explores more sculptural, architectural applications of washi in lighting.
The brand's ceiling lights and pendant lights bring the qualities of handmade Japanese paper into contemporary architectural contexts — spaces where a standard fixture would provide functional illumination and nothing more. Mino Washi filtering changes the character of artificial light in ways that synthetic diffusers, regardless of material sophistication, cannot reproduce.
The Untearable Washi Stand demonstrates another dimension of washi material development: a paper-based product engineered for physical durability while maintaining the translucent, warm visual qualities of traditional handmade paper. This type of material innovation — maintaining traditional aesthetic qualities while extending functional performance — characterizes how Japan's craft paper tradition continues to develop.
Mino Washi — 1,300-year Japanese paper tradition in lighting form
Fores lighting uses Mino Washi from Gifu Prefecture — a handmade paper with 1,300 years of documented history. Produced from kozo fiber by hand, Mino Washi achieves translucency and surface quality that machine-made papers cannot match. Light passing through Mino Washi is diffused, softened, and warmed — creating the characteristic quality of Japanese paper lantern illumination.
Gifu Lantern tradition — craft context for contemporary lighting
Fores is produced in Gifu City — home of the Gifu Lantern, one of Japan's most celebrated traditional craft objects. The city's accumulated craft knowledge in paper-and-frame lighting construction informs the design and production standards of Fores's contemporary and traditional lighting pieces.
Washi light quality — warmth and diffusion no synthetic material replicates
The quality of light produced by handmade washi paper cannot be replicated by synthetic diffusers. Mino Washi creates a specific warmth, softness, and spatial character that transforms the experience of artificial light in an interior. This is not aesthetic preference but material physics — the paper's fiber structure and translucency are unique to handmade kozo paper.
PRODUCTS Featured Products & Services
Fores Michiyuki Andon — Mino Washi Japanese Paper Lantern
A floor-standing andon in traditional Japanese form using Mino Washi paper. Soft, warm directional light through handmade Japanese paper from Gifu. A contemporary expression of the Gifu Lantern tradition by Fores.
View DetailsFores PAPER STONE — Sculptural Washi Table Light
A sculptural table or floor light in Mino Washi by Fores. Stone-form exterior, warm washi-filtered light. A contemporary application of Japanese handmade paper in an architectural lighting object.
View DetailsFores Ceiling Light — Mino Washi Paper Ceiling Fixture
A ceiling light fixture using Mino Washi paper. Warm, diffused illumination from handmade Japanese paper. Brings the quality of traditional Japanese paper lantern light into contemporary architectural applications. Made in Gifu.
View DetailsFores Pendant Light — Japanese Washi Paper Pendant
A pendant light in Mino Washi paper by Fores. Soft overhead illumination through handmade Japanese paper — warm and diffused. For dining, living, and bedroom applications where light quality matters.
View DetailsFores Untearable Washi Stand Light — Durable Japanese Paper Lamp
A stand light using Fores's untearable washi material — engineered for physical durability while maintaining the translucency and warmth of traditional Mino Washi. Durable, handsome, and distinctively Japanese in light character.
View DetailsMEDIA Media, Awards & Initiatives
- Fores by Hayashi Kougei is recognized in Japanese interior and craft media for applying Mino Washi — one of Japan's most significant handmade paper traditions — to contemporary lighting design. The brand bridges the Gifu Lantern craft heritage and modern architectural lighting contexts.