Otaru Ironai Bank Street Lights/Square Votive

[Jun's Light x Otaru Art Base x UNGAPLUS]

The Ironai Bank series is a collaboration with Otaru Art Village, which promotes historical culture based on the bank buildings and stone warehouses that make up Otaru's historical landscape, and is a miniature version of the "Otaru Ironai Bank Street Lights" candle series, "Square Votive," created in collaboration with Otaru-based candle artist Jun's Light. There are three types of candles that depict Otaru's bank architecture.

This is the "Former Otaru Branch of the Bank of Japan." This candle was created with the motif of the "Former Otaru Branch of the Bank of Japan," which was designed by Tatsuno Kingo, who laid the foundation for modern Japanese architecture. The candle recreates the traditional Japanese color of verdigris, making it an eye-catching candle with a beautiful color scheme. This is the former Hokkaido Takushoku Bank Otaru Branch. Built at the height of Otaru's economy, it is one of the bank buildings that symbolizes the city's former prosperity. The candles are inspired by the six beautiful classical columns that stand tall in the atrium of the hall. This is the "Old Mitsui Bank Otaru Branch (Important Cultural Property)," a symbolic bank building in Otaru, once known as "the leading economic city in northern Japan." The candles are inspired by the Renaissance-style exterior with its characteristic arches and heavy stonework, as well as the marble of the interior. It will be delivered in this UNGAPLUS original box. Enjoy a relaxing time with the flickering candle flames as you contemplate the scenery that has been passed down through the ages.

"Lights of Otaru Ironai Bank District"

During the Meiji period, Otaru became a base for the development of Hokkaido. As people and goods flocked to the city from all over, financial institutions also moved in. Many banks lined Ironai Boulevard. Bank architecture, a symbol of Japan's modernization, carries on the history and memories of Otaru's past prosperity and is still carefully preserved as a cultural heritage that shapes the Otaru landscape. Jun's Light has skillfully embodied these beautiful bank buildings in candles. May the light convey the splendor of the time. This is the "Ironai Bank Town" series, a collaboration with Otaru Art Base. From the Meiji period onwards, Otaru flourished as a port town replacing Hakodate and a coal shipping port, becoming a base for the development of Hokkaido. People and goods gathered here from various regions, and financial institutions flourished from the Meiji period through to the early Showa period. The area around Ironai Odori, where banks were built one after another, later came to be known as "Ironai Banking District." This landscape, where bank buildings built around 100 years ago still stand in a narrow 500-meter radius, is unique in Japan. It can be said to be a symbol of the modernization of not only Hokkaido, but of Japan as a whole.

Her beautiful candles also look great as interior décor. While she has been involved in planning exhibitions at department stores and art museums, creating dazzling spaces, she also pursues her creative endeavors with the desire to "cherish the everyday." 18 years ago, she studied under American candle artist Claudia Symes, and began working full-time in 2007. She continues to inspire people by expressing her feelings at each moment through layered colors.