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Akasaki & Vanhuyse turn 1,400 strap handles from Tokyo’s retired Tokyu 8500 trains into WA, a 150‑lamp edition. Nine stacked resin rings, stainless‑steel legs, sandblasted matte finish; assembled in Tokyo.
WA is a table lamp built from parts of Tokyo’s Tokyu Den‑en‑toshi Line 8500‑series trains, which retired in January 2023. London studio Akasaki & Vanhuyse gathered around 1,400 white resin strap‑handle rings from the decommissioned cars and turned them into a limited run of 150 lights. Using the rings matters here: resin doesn’t move easily through typical recycling, so reuse is the straightforward, low‑tech route that preserves the character of the original component.
Each lamp stacks nine reclaimed rings to form a compact shade. The rings don’t touch; thin gaps run between them so the bulb’s glow slips out in horizontal bands while the solid resin blocks glare. Two polished stainless‑steel uprights hold the column and curl over the top ring—a quiet echo of the strap hardware the handles once clipped to. The structure is honest and legible: visible screws, rust‑resistant metal, and a frame that can be taken apart for servicing or end‑of‑life recycling.
Before assembly, every ring was washed, inspected, and grouped by condition so wear is evenly spread across the edition. Rather than hiding history, the studio kept the scratches and small dents that come from years of commuters gripping the surface. A sandblasted finish brings all the pieces to a durable soft‑matte while leaving those traces visible—more like a fine, chalky grain than a blemish. Up close, you notice softened edges and tiny nicks under the matte skin; they read as use, not damage.
Much of the work stayed in Tokyo—cleaning, grading, assembly, and packing were handled by local manufacturers tied to the trains’ original context. The name fits the object: wa (輪) means ring, which is exactly what you see repeated in section as the light works. On a desk or a sideboard the lamp behaves predictably: calm, banded light outward, a warm pool on the table, and a clear reminder—held in the resin—of where the material has been.
Photography courtesy of Akasaki & Vanhuyse.
