Hikari Mori Restores 150-Year-Old Kominka and Launches tefutefu

Hikari Mori, former fashion model and granddaughter of Hanae Mori, is restoring a 150-year-old shōya farmhouse in Chiba Prefecture, built in 1869 (Meiji 2). The kominka features a nagaya-mon gatehouse, kura storehouses, a Japanese garden, and an engawa veranda. Mori purchased the property at age 29, viewing it as a "laboratory of living" to explore architecture, craft, and daily life. She collaborated with local artisans, including carpenters and plaster makers who used traditional methods without metal nails and earthen walls from local soil. The restoration emphasizes preservation and harmony with the landscape. Mori co-founded tefutefu, a platform examining contemporary Japanese living aesthetics through exhibitions, spatial design, and research. tefutefu developed the aesthetic philosophy Irosabi (色寂), which celebrates beauty through aging and natural transformation. Last year, tefutefu curated an Irosabi exhibition in Los Angeles and Tokyo, featuring lacquerware with layered colors that reveal beneath over time. Mori's grandmother Hanae Mori, a renowned fashion designer, will have a centennial exhibition at the National Art Center, Tokyo. Mori sees her work as inheriting cultural practices without feeling confined, emphasizing freedom and natural transmission of conviction through family.