ichiban

The roots of ichiban, the Japanese word for “the first”, “the best” are based in the family. Founded 1998 from the brothers Akira and Ken Sakurai – Karner, ichiban started as a family project, to serve as an innovative platform for figurative communication, within a community of artists. Later also Ray, the oldest brother and Maiko Sakurai – Karner, the youngest sister, decided to join ichiban. While Ken deals with graphical and illustrative elements, Akira’s strength lies in painting graffiti and art. Ray’s profession is conception and writing and Maiko’s talents are in design and fashion.

The result of all these efforts is the creation of an innovative possibility for figurative communication in countless variations. It is a steady attempt to define the current time spirit, to offer new accents in everyday life. The motivation and underlying goal is to create something with permanence, something inspiring and moving.