Japanese leather craft
”Koshu Inden”

”Koshu Inden” – Minute designs with lacquer on deerskin.

Wallets and bags made of tanned deerskin, with decorations by lacquer. The smooth texture conjures up an elegant atmosphere, a very chic and fashionable items for elegant people.

This leather craft is called ”Inden”. A similar craft seems to have already existed in Nara period, but the name Inden started in Edo period. As the name suggests, this craft of deerskin is said to have come from India. ”INDEN-YA Co., Ltd. Uehara Yushichi” is the only workshop that has inherited the traditional technique of Inden.

The efforts to carry on the technique, not just as an old tradition.

There was an array of products in the workshop. Because they are decorated by lacquer, most of them had soft and chic colors. ”Can’t you make more variations of colors with this technique?” Nakata asked, and Dezawa of　Inden-ya replied,

”Well, actually, Inden is not really widely known. So the most important thing now is, not just to carry on the technique of Inden as an old tradition, but to think how to make it appealing to the young people of today. For that purpose, we are continuously thinking of new designs. I want people to choose and use them, not as a traditional item, but because they are fashionable.”

”Do you collaborate with a fashion brand, for example?” asked Nakata, and was told that there is an ongoing project with a company in New York. That will be something to look forward to.

Born in Japan and next, to New York. The culture that interacts over time and boundaries. A new culture may born out of this interaction.