Inside Takashi Murakami’s Oz Zingaro Home Goods Space

Oz Zingaro is a specialty shop run by Takashi Murakami carrying antiques, pottery, and assorted goods. Since his debut as an artist, Murakami has collected work in a vast variety of mediums, using the pieces he has assembled as seeds for his own artwork. Perhaps the greatest focus of this collection has been items associated with the Japanese tea ceremony. The reason lies in the high monetary value and status that tea utensils held prior to World War II, making them the premiere art form of their day and a symbol of respect and envy. The importance placed on the tea ceremony in the social structure of the time meant that possessing good utensils for the ceremony was a sign of success and the items were seen as tools to gain acknowledgment from peers and a place on the social ladder. Oz Zingaro is located in the Tokyo Shopping Mall Nakano Broadway, a complex marked by its many otaku and subculture themed stores. Takashi Murakami currently operates three galleries in the complex: Hidari Zingaro, Oz Zingaro, and pixiv Zingaro and all three galleries feature the word Zingaro in the title, with Hidari Zingaro being the flagship. Here, we take a look inside.