class
cocoa
about cocoa
Creating a place from a thread
“cocoa self & field research association” is a new place for research and practice by Yoshikazu Yamagata, the leader of the fashion school coconogacco, which is based in Shima-Kishi, Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture. Fashion is a part of our lives and an activity of self-expression. cococoa will take a broad view of the framework of “fashion” as its axis and invite guests from a wide range of fields to think together with the participants about new images of human beings and their activities. Itoshima City, which is presumed to be Ito-kuni that appears in the Chinese history book “Wei-Shi-Wa-jin-Den,” is located at the gateway to the Eurasian continent, a stopover point on the Silk Road. While Itoshima is the base of cocoa, it is not a fixed location. cocoa gathers the history, culture, traditions, and wisdom of people facing the roots of themselves and others in various places, We will conduct research. Here, ideas are exchanged among participants, and new stories are spun out of the flat exchange between guests and participants. The activities of the event fold together, deepen the inner world, and quietly resonate with the world.
The “a” in “cocoa” is the ‘a’ of “beginning,” and cocoa is the drink that releases the threads of tension at the beginning of the day. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to be sensitive to what you touch and take in, a break and a start. Please join us for a different kind of experience.
history of cocoa
cocoa began as a branch of the fashion school coconogacco, which opened in 2011 as a school based in a natural location in Fukuoka for several years. In an environment away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, we have provided a place of learning in small groups where participants, who are seeking their own expression, can deeply confront themselves and society together with a variety of guests. As a result of the creativity nurtured by the participants, some of them have been selected for international fashion competitions, and others are still active in a variety of fields, expanding their own expressions while making the most of their studies at cocoa.
moderators
Yoshikazu Yamagata (writtenafterwards designer, representative of coconogacco)
Kaori Ieyasu (design director, representative director of Edelkoort East Co.)
guides
Momoko Okusa (cocoa's first student)
Born in Fukuoka, Momoko joined the creative team of writtenafterwards and has been teaching at coconogacco since 2014, working with many students.
Yuko Yanaga (cocoa 2nd term student)
After studying dyeing and weaving and fine arts at university, she studied fashion at cocoa. She is an artist based in Fukuoka and a part-time lecturer at Kyushu Sangyo University.
guests
Tatsuru Uchida (thinker) / Hirofumi Kurino (Senior Advisor, United Arrows) / Noi Sawaragi (art critic) / Seiran Tsuno (artist, fashion designer, nurse) / Sakiko Nomura (photographer) / Shin Fukumori (Director, Shobu Gakuen, a facility for people with intellectual disabilities) / Dai Fujieda (editor, bookstore Kanbo) / Masao Morita (Independent researcher) / Shuhei Morofuji (Businessman)
and more...
program
cocoa will hold a total of 12 seminars based in Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture, to be held at various locations. A different guest is invited each time, and participants present their research freely in an interactive format. The presentations by participants are a time to share their own work, activities, and interests with others, and to listen to the themes of interest to other participants. It does not have to be a completed work or research. Other hands-on seminars based on guests' activities and interests will be held against the backdrop of the nature and culture of Itoshima and other host sites. By delving into one's own theme through dialogue with guests and other participants, we hope to create a place where multifaceted perspectives are nurtured and new ways of life and livelihood (nariwai, work) are born. In addition, in order to deepen their respective studies, participants can attend classes in the coconoacco lecture course held in Tokyo (online participation is also possible).
※ The venue will be mainly in Itoshima City, but depending on the guests and theme, the venue may be in a remote area.
＜12 Dialogues on Ito -Twining, Bundling, Weaving- >
・May -Weaving the Field-
Yoshikazu Yamagata / Guest: Shuhei Morofuji (Businessman) + Mao Morita (Independent Researcher)
・June -Spinning the Pure and the Applied-
Yoshikazu Yamagata / Guest: Noi Sawaragi (Art Critic)
・July -Talking Like Weaving-
Kaoru Ieyasu / Guest: Dai Fujieda (Publisher: ・August -Threading Memories -
Yoshikazu Yamagata / Guest: Sakiko Nomura (Photographer) + Yuji Hamada (Photographer)
・September -Connecting Wishes -
Yoshikazu Yamagata / Venue: Sasaguri-machi, Kasuya-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture
・October -Succeeding to a livelihood-
Kaoru Ieyasu / Guest: FANTASIA / Keigo Mohri (Consultant, Editor) + Mayuko Mohri (Organizer)
・November -Spelling out the outfit-
Yoshikazu Yamagata or Kaori Ieyasu / Guest: Hirofumi Kurino (Senior Advisor, United Arrows)
・December -The act of continuing to sew-
Venue: Shobu Gakuen Field Trip (Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture)
Yoshikazu Yamagata or Kaori Ieyasu / Guest: Shin Fukumori (Director of Shobu Gakuen, a support facility for the intellectually disabled)
・Jan-Non-Sustained Activities-
Venue: Hirokawa-cho, Yame-gun, Fukuoka Prefecture
Yoshikazu Yamagata or Kaori Ieyasu / Guest: Shinya Miyaura (Representative Director & Curator of Ito-Ken Inc.)
・February -Mending the Body and Mind-
Yoshikazu Yamagata/ Guest: Seiran Tsuno (Artist, Fashion Designer, Nurse)
・March -Beginning and End of Thread-
Yoshikazu Yamagata / Guest: Tatsuru Uchida (Thinker)
・April -Connecting Place and Place-
Venue: coconogacco completion exhibition venue (Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi)
Yoshikazu Yamagata + Kaori Ieyasu/ Guest: to be confirmed
※ Guests to be confirmed will be announced as soon as they are confirmed. Guests will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
Duration and frequency
Seminar (12 sessions): May 2025 - April 2026
※ Each seminar will basically be held on Saturday and Sunday with one night and two days.
You can participate in the coconogacco Lecture Course
(14 sessions / May 2025 - March 2026, Wednesdays, 19:00 - 22:00) held in Tokyo.
※ Lecture course can be taken on-run.
Capacity: 10 students
Cost (12 seminars + 14 coconogacco lecture courses)
Tuition fee
monthly：48,000 yen (tax not included)
Full year： 480,000 yen (tax not included)
※ Monthly or lump-sum payment is available.
※ This amount includes accommodation and breakfast.
※ Transportation and accommodation expenses may be incurred separately for ※ the sessions held outside of Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
※ Transportation to the venue is not included.
Location
Based at Unson House “Kou” (Itoshima City, Fukuoka Prefecture), the workshop will be held at various locations in Itoshima City.
Accommodation
Unsun House “Kou” (shared guesthouse).
※ Those who wish to stay overnight may use Unson House “Kou” free of charge.
※ Details of Unson House “Kou” will be sent to participants separately.
※ If you wish to stay at a hotel other than Unson House Kou, you will be responsible for actual expenses.
※ If you wish to stay at a hotel other than Unson House Kou, you will be responsible for the actual expenses.
Access
1441-10 Shimagishi, Itoshima, Fukuoka
From Chikuzenmaebaru Station on the JR Chikuhi Line (directly connected to Fukuoka Subway Airport Line)
Bus: From Chikuzenmaebaru Station, take Showa Bus Akutaya Line 26 Akutaya (via Itoshima City Hall, Kabusato). 8 minute walk from Akutaya Branch Station.
