Etoile Kaifuku Launches Area Initiative 'Bakuro Curart' in Bakurocho-Higashikanda

Etoile Kaifuku Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo Ward, Tokyo; President & CEO: Kinnojo Hayakawa) is launching 'Bakuro Curart,' an area initiative rooted in art and craft, in the Bakurocho-Higashikanda district—a neighborhood with over a century of commercial history since the company's founding in 1902.

Bakuro Curart aims to generate new activities, circulation, and encounters in a town that has inherited a legacy of commerce. Building on dialogues with Command A Inc., the operator of 3331 Arts Chiyoda, the initiative will collaborate with diverse stakeholders—including local residents, creators, artists, businesses, and educational institutions—to foster new forms of engagement and exchange within the community.

Etoile Kaifuku will transform its long-standing practice of 'curating and conveying the value of goods,' cultivated over 120 years, into immersive urban experiences where art, craft, community, and learning resonate. The goal is to co-create a new cultural zone where the sensibilities of makers, residents, learners, and supporters can flourish together.

※Creative Director Ikko Koike and VI designer Naoki Sato have been appointed to create a symbolic identity that bridges the town’s past and future.

Bakurocho-Higashikanda spans the Nihonbashi area of Chuo Ward and the Kanda area of Chiyoda Ward, located on the eastern side of central Tokyo. During the Edo period, it developed as a hub for travelers, commerce, and the flow of people and goods, supported by the bustling activity around Ryogoku Bridge and major highways. In modern times, it strengthened its identity as a wholesale district, accumulating layers of commercial and cultural memory.

In eastern Tokyo, experimental art and design spaces that transcend conventional frameworks have long existed—beginning with the SAGA-CHO EXHIBIT SPACE opened by Ikko Koike in Koto Ward in 1983. In the Kanda-Nihonbashi area, initiatives such as Central East Tokyo (CET), 3331 Arts Chiyoda, and the Tokyo Biennale have reinterpreted local contexts since the 2000s. Recently, independent shops, restaurants, and creative activities by artists and makers have converged, giving rise to new cultural movements.

As the first core hub of this initiative, the company will redevelop its former Shohinbu (Commodities Department) Building into 'Art Base /偶然はない。.' This facility will serve as an open platform for learning, creation, exhibitions, and community exchange, with the first floor preview opening on July 7, 2026, and a full grand opening scheduled for autumn of the same year.

Concept Development Background

Prior to launching Bakuro Curart, Etoile Kaifuku has been co-hosting area concept workshops since 2025 with Command A Inc., drawing on their experience managing 3331 Arts Chiyoda, to explore the medium- and long-term potential of the Bakurocho-Higashikanda area.

These workshops invited experts in urban history, urban design, local resources, art projects, lifestyle culture, and creative direction to discuss the area’s historical and spatial characteristics, commercial heritage, and the connectivity between art, education, and craftsmanship. The final session featured Ikko Koike, deepening reflections on the relationship between community, art, and everyday culture.

Bakuro Curart is an area vision born from these dialogues with experts and Command A, and will continue to evolve through collaboration with diverse stakeholders including local communities, makers, artists, businesses, and educational institutions.

About Bakuro Curart

'Bakuro Curart' is a coined term representing the entire district, where scattered locations, people, and activities resonate with one another. 'Curart' combines 'Curation,' 'Art,' 'Craft,' and 'Curiosity,' reflecting the initiative’s core values.

Rather than naming a single facility, 'Bakuro Curart' serves as an overarching identity for the district, where multiple interconnected activities and spaces foster a continuous cycle of commerce and culture. By layering exhibitions, workshops, food, education, and creation, the initiative aims to nurture diverse sensibilities across all ages—from children to adults.

About 'Art Base /偶然はない。'

'Art Base /偶然はない。' is the first core hub of Bakuro Curart. The former Shohinbu Building was where Etoile Kaifuku’s buyers engaged deeply with products and maintained ongoing dialogues with makers and suppliers across Japan. This building, rich with memories of assessing and conveying the background and value of goods through countless business negotiations, will be reborn as an art base.

The first floor will feature an open community space, gallery, workshop area, and 'Cafe & Craft Foods Marishack.' Upper floors will house an art school, art studios, and additional gallery spaces.

The name '偶然はない。' (There Are No Coincidences) expresses the intention to recognize encounters and events in the city not as random occurrences, but as meaningful connections shaped by time, skill, and relationships—channels to inspire future creation, experimentation, and innovation. The spatial design is led by Yasui Architects & Engineers, Inc., reconfiguring the existing structure into a space for creativity and exchange while preserving its historical essence.

President's Statement (President & CEO, Kinnojo Hayakawa)

Bakurocho-Higashikanda is a town where memories of commerce and everyday culture have accumulated over a long history. As a wholesaler based in this area, Etoile Kaifuku has continuously conveyed the multifaceted values attached to goods—makers’ craftsmanship, regional traditions, buyers’ curation, and users’ lifestyles. In an era of increasing efficiency and digitization, we believe that serendipitous encounters, conversations, and tangible relationships born in physical spaces are more important than ever.

Bakuro Curart is our initiative to open up the commercial legacy we’ve cultivated into the streets through the power of art and craft. Starting with 'Art Base /偶然はない。,' we aim to create a new urban rhythm in Bakurocho-Higashikanda by fostering interactions among makers, residents, learners, and supporters, allowing each person’s sensibility to grow.

Future Schedule

'Art Base /偶然はない。' will preview its first-floor facilities on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, with a full grand opening planned for autumn of the same year.

A press tour for media is scheduled for the day before, Monday, July 6, 2026.

On the first floor, the open space, gallery, workshop area, and 'Cafe & Craft Foods Marishack' will be unveiled. During the preview period, events such as the 3331 Secret Auction Exhibition, the community-participation art project 'Kaekko Bazaar,' and the children’s workshop program '3331 Kids Art School' will be rolled out sequentially.

Further details will be announced on the official Bakuro Curart website (https://bakuro-curart.com) and through future press releases.

LIME WORKS #41408 (Artwork by Naoya Hatakeyama, exhibited in 3331 Secret Auction Exhibition) 'Kaekko' Past event photo @3331 '3331 Kids Art School' Past event photo @3331

About Etoile Kaifuku

Etoile Kaifuku Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive wholesale company founded in 1902, with over 120 years of history based in Bakurocho, Tokyo. It distributes fashion accessories,