ALIMANO

ALIMANO is a jewelry brand inspired by the beautiful nature of ‘Arimano’, a mountain village located in the center of Mie prefecture. This is the hometown of the artist and the source of her creativity.

The four seasons unique to Japan provide scenery that combines flora and fauna to coexist with nature. The motif of each piece is the beauty within such nature. Natural materials are used to create this one-of-a-kind jewelry. Alimano treats each and every material with the utmost respect to create work of exceeding quality. Alongside the urbane and sophisticated design, Alimano hopes to inspire people to reconnect to the natural beauty of their dreams.

Alimano strives to produce unique and ethical jewelry.

the MAKER
Yukiko Hanamoto, Jewerly Creator

Yukiko Hanamoto is a jewelry creator who seeks out the possibilities of her chosen materials by focusing on the beauty hidden in nature. The original scenery of her hometown, Arimano, acts as the inspiration and motif of her creations.

Hanamoto was born in Arimano, Mie Prefecture and started making jewelry after working in public relations for the fashion industry. She is a graduate of Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry. She announced her first collection "DEER HORN JEWELRY" in 2017 which coincided with the launch of her jewelry brand, Alimano. Yukiko Hanamoto's jewelry has been exhibited and sold both in Japan and overseas.

NACHT

The dignified black of Nachi Kuroishi.
Beauty polished over the years.

Kumano Kodo trail is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The majestic and natural highway is beloved by tourists all over the world. The path acts as an historical highway connecting Ise and Osaka via Mie Prefecture, as well as Mt Koya in Wakayama Prefecture. It has long been known as the ‘path of worship’ in Japan, which people have walked to visit both Ise Jingu and Mt Koya.

Visiting Ise and Kumano was spiritually prosperous, but extremely difficult. It is said that people in the past returned with back stones rounded by the flow of the river as talismans for travel.
The stones of Nachi Kuroishi are produced only in Mie prefecture.

 
Nachi Kuroishi is a fine black slate. The more it is polished the deeper the blackness and luster become. Like these stones, the pilgrims who walked the Kumano Kodo possessed the will to stick to their beliefs, bolstering their strength by refining the rough edges of their difficulties. Nachi Kuroishi has long been used as a valuable material for inkstones and for the pieces of the board game Go. Works created with the material are beloved by the Japanese as traditional crafts.


Alimano jewelry is designed with the motif of the story of the Nachi Kuroishi travel talismans. To take advantage of the characteristics of the material—which deepens in blackness and luster as it is polished—it is polished dozens of times and gradually rounded into shape. Gold and silver decorations are added to the refined black texture to create a ‘modern traditional craft’ full of rarity and originality.


Each time Nachi Kuroishi is polished it creates a value that increases its luster and connection via its characteristic soft touch. The seed design is based on the motif of the natural beauty of Kumano Kodo. Hanamoto hopes this design will help consumers sympathize with the importance and ethics of preserving such a unique natural environment.

MA
Natural work reflected in pearls.
Following a mysterious trajectory.

Ise-Shima is the peninsula in Mie Prefecture which first succeeded in pearl farming. The pearls of Ise-Shima are cultivated by craftsmen over many years and have become world-renowned for their beauty and quality. Pearls are imagined to be round in shape, but baroque pearls turn ‘imperfections’ into abundant natural beauty. Hanamoto learned about baroque pearls from people who cultivate pearls in Ago Bay, a famous production area for Akoya pearls.

All pearls made by the randomness of the sea are unique. Each grain matures into its own shining appearance as if following the mysterious trajectory of the sea. Hanamoto created original pearls following the advice of those with decades of pearl farming experience in Ago Bay. Thereby exploring the unique modeling beauty of baroque pearls.

The motif of these art pieces evokes light falling on the rich sea and the sparkling water surface of Ago Bay. The design is as playful and surprising as baroque pearls themselves. The birth of pearl jewelry that wears the beauty of nature with the original brilliance of each grain.

DEER HORN JEWERLY
A jewel-like glow on horns of deer - the messengers of the gods.


Ethical jewelry with the motif of deer horns - a blessing of nature. These pieces were born from Hanamoto’s encounter with a hunter in her hometown. Since ancient times in Japan all of nature is said to house the spirit of deities. The deer is one of them. Even today, deer are carefully protected as a ‘messenger of the gods’ at shrines. Wild deer are hunted with respect as a blessing for the gods of mountains. Through consultation with a local hunter Hanamoto attempted to create a design worthy of this revered spiritual animal.

Deer horns fall out once a year. The material has an ivory-like texture and a luster that emerges when polished. Hanamoto felt the material had a powerful and delicate beauty and with it she breathed new life into her jewelry. She carefully cuts the deer horns while observing each piece one-by-one. Cutting the deer horn into unique geometric shapes, adorning it in gold and silver leaf, and creating shadows. The dyeing process imagined the natural beauty of Japan's four seasons as a model of beauty. And always with life and nature in mind. As an ethical jewelry, it has become popular with a wide range of discerning women in Japan.