“Prosthetic limb”× “Art and Craftsmanship”
Interview with Nobuhiro Yasuda, the craftsman of KYOTO gishi*design
Kusuoka Prosthetics & Orthotics, located in Uji City which is famous for its quality tea in the south of Kyoto, was established in 1975 as a family business. Since them they have manufactured medical prosthetics and
orthotics. Today, the company has been taken over by the second-generation people who are thoroughly committed
to their philosophy, “manufacturing that is faithful to the basics”, which their predecessors advocated.
As the company approaches its 50th anniversary in 2025, they are taking on a totally new project which sounds far
beyond the conventional concept of ‘medical prosthetics an orthotics’. One such project is “KYOTO gishi*design”. Nobuhiro Yasuda, who has been involved in the manufacture of orthotics in the company’s studio for many years and is the leader of this new project, talked about the background to the creation of KYOTO gishi*design.
Nobuhiro Yasuda, an experienced prosthetist (artificial limbs) and the leader of KYOTO gishi*design
“I work as a prosthetist, manufacturing artificial limbs (artificial feet and hands) for people who have lost limbs due to illness or injury and orthotics supporters). The main part of the work is tailor-made to suit each person’s body, and extremely precise body conformity is essential as they are made to fit each person’s body.
As such prosthetics are essential partner for some people in their daily life, “functionality” is so important. However, while I was making products tailored to each individual as a prosthetist, I began to realize about one thing. As well as the “functionality,” the design of the products is also important. In addition to the functionality of supporting people’s bodies, I wanted to create prosthetics and orthotics that would also brighten people’s hearts and make them happy.
As I was always interested in indigo dyeing personally, the first KYOTO gishi*design project I worked on was the “Indigo-Dyed Prosthetic Legs”, which is a fusion of traditional crafts and prosthetic. During the indigo dyeing process, the beautiful shining indigo color appears in the water while the dyed fabric was being washed in water. I wondered if I could express this superb color on my prosthetics.
The second is the BLOOM project, whose theme is “Blooming Light” in everyday life. Collaborating with an artist, I wanted to create orthotics that enables people to enjoy their life with a little more “uplifting” and “light” feeling by wearing my orthotics with bright design, just like the flowers and plants that bloom in our everyday life.
When I deliver the first indigo-dyed prosthetic leg to one of my clients, she gave me the words I would not forget forever: “This is mine. It’s the best for me!” When I heard her word, I was so moved because I could believe that the prosthetic leg reached her heart. This experience will remain my driving force as a prosthetist.
It was also the moment when I made a new decision to deliver the feeling I had at that time to a wider range of people. I believe that the prosthetics and orthotics I create under the KYOTO gishi*design concept should be “socially implementable” which means the service can be reached out by anyone, not only in Japan, but also worldwide.
In a society where diversity is often discussed, I hope that this small design project, “KYOTO gishi*design” will lead towards a society where people who need prosthetics and orthotics have a “choice”, and we will continue to act proactively in the future! I would be very happy if I can meet just one person who needs and likes “KYOTO gishi*design”somewhere in the world!
Kusuoka Prosthetics & Orthotics: https://kusuoka-gishi.co.jp/
KYOTO gishi*design: https://kyoto.gishi.design/