Located near JR Fukui Station in the central city center of Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture, the brewery Tokoyama Shuzo’s representative brand is “Jozan,” known for its crisp, clear, dry taste, which has gained in maturity since Shinpei Tsuneyama, the ninth-generation master brewer, became master brewer. The mother and son, who inherited the spirit of their father, who passed away suddenly in the middle of his career, have further deepened the flavor of the sake to make it dryer and more suitable for today’s palate.

What is the ninth generation’s goal in sake brewing?

The Tsuneyama Brewery was founded in 1804, in the late Edo period. It is the oldest brewery in Fukui City. The brewery began as a purveyor to the Fukui clan, and by the Taisho era (1912-1926), it had become the largest sake brewery in Fukui City. Each time, the brewery was revived with the support of drinkers, and the family business has continued to carefully produce sake.

In 2022, Shinpei Tsuneyama will take over as the ninth head of the brewery, passing the baton from his mother, the eighth generation. He renewed the lineup of “Tsuneyama,” the brewery’s flagship brand. Based on the concept of “Koshiyama Wakamizu,” a term used to describe the natural beauty of Fukui Prefecture and its water, the brewery uses Miyamanishiki and Yamadanishiki sake rice grown by contract farmers in the Miyama area in the mountains of eastern Fukui City , Gohyakumangoku and Sakahomare, which were developed by Fukui Prefecture, and Fukui’s own proprietary yeast.

The series’ white labels are designed by Shogo Kizumino, a graphic designer who has worked on the “JAL SKY MUSEUN” and Lotte’s “ZERO” series. The white color of the label, which evokes the image of rice, is designed to be a bridge between rice and food, while the logo is reminiscent of the mountains and sea of Echizen.

The three main flavors are junmai dry “Cho,” junmai ginjo dry “Tobi,” and junmai daiginjo mellow dry “Kyoku. They are characterized by a dry, crisp taste that goes down the throat easily and harmonizes well not only with delicately flavored seafood, but also with today’s fatty meals. It combines the profound flavor of the mountains of Echizen with the fresh minerality and spiciness of the sea of Wakasa, resulting in a taste that is more than just light and refreshing.

Attention to detail to remove miscellaneous flavors

The sake is clear, transparent, and full of umami, with a great impact and sharpness. How is such sake made?

When you visit the Tsuneyama Brewery, you will notice that everything in the office and workshop is neat and tidy. Under the motto “Sake making starts with the environment,” the entire staff thoroughly cleans up every morning before work. The rice is carried by hand instead of using an air shooter, which is generally used to carry rice in a sake brewery. The sake is then transported by hand, for fear that the small amount of rice that remains will lead to a bad taste. In the pursuit of a clear, transparent flavor, we became concerned about areas that we thought could cause a tangy taste,” said Shinpei. By reviewing each step of the brewing process in detail, the brewery was able to produce a flavor that was closer to the ideal.

No stress on yeast during fermentation

The tanks used to brew sake were also carefully selected. In September, when the brewing process at Tsuneyama Brewery begins, the outside temperature can still exceed 30 degrees Celsius on some days. At the end of the brewing process, the tanks are cooled to add sweetness to the flavor. To prevent stress on the yeast, special tanks are used that are less affected by the temperature difference from the outside air. Shinpei says, “In order to deeply pursue the flavor, it was also important to select the tank itself.

In addition, the temperature in the brewery is strictly controlled, including ice temperature control after pressing and rapid heating and cooling during bottling, while sake retailers are also carefully selected for their ability to control temperatures.

Developed by his father, the previous generation, the flavor goes well with Fukui’s specialties.

Mr. Shimpei is dedicated to the dry taste of the famous sake “Tsuneyama” and continues to update it to suit the modern age. At the root of his efforts is his love for his father, who died in the middle of his career.

In the past, the Tsuneyama Shuzo brewery mainly produced an ordinary sake called “Hanejyu Masamune” for a long time. However, his father, Hideaki, the seventh generation, foresaw the coming of a new age of sake and introduced “Tsuneyama” as a new junmai sake in 1997. The sake was developed to suit the fresh seafood caught in Fukui’s seas, and is characterized by its elegant ginjo aroma, smooth and fresh mouthfeel, and crisp aftertaste. It was also well received as a perfect partner for ” oroshi soba, ” a specialty of Fukui, as it did not interfere with the delicate aroma of the soba and went well with the freshness of grated radish.

Several years later, however, Hideaki passed away suddenly at the age of 48, halfway through his quest to popularize “Tsuneyama. Shinpei was only 19 years old and a college student at the time, so his mother, Yukiko, succeeded him.

Mother, the 8th generation, established the Tsuneyama brand

First, Yukiko carefully selected sake dealers for a specific brand of “Tsuneyama” to maintain the quality of sake. She also researched sake rice and rice polishing ratios in search of the best sharpness to enhance the lineup of “Tsuneyama,” which is based on the concept of dryness. Normally, the sake strength of “6” is considered to be very dry, but the company has made a move toward dryness by producing “Super Dry,” a junmai daiginjo sake with a sake strength of around “8,” and “Tobikkiri Dry,” an ultra-harsh raw sake with a sake strength of around “21.

The key to making dry sake is to keep the yeast strong during the fermentation period without weakening it, and to strike a balance so as not to produce a cloying taste. This was achieved by the skill of the Nanbu Touji, who supported Hideaki.

Yukiko actively entered their sake in numerous sake competitions, including the ” Wineglass Delicious Sake Award ” to have it evaluated by a third party. The awards also increased their opportunities to be featured in the media. This led to branding and the creation of a taste that matched the modern diet, and the base of “Tsuneyama” was established as the name became well-known among young people and other sake novices.

The young 9th generation takes over the brewery in the new era of sake.

After graduating from university and working in sales at a major sake brewing company, Shinpei returned to his hometown in 2011 and joined the Tsuneyama Brewery. At that time, “Otters” and “Kajinin Kuheiji” were beginning to gain recognition in the global market, riding on the back of the Japanese food boom overseas. With the dawn of a new era of Japanese sake as a tailwind, he began brewing his own sake.

In his fourth year of brewing sake, he won the gold medal at the National New Sake Competition.

Although born into a family of brewers, Shinpei was a complete amateur as an actual sake brewer and did not major in agriculture at university. He was taught from the ground up by a veteran toji, who had worked with his father and mother in the sake brewing industry. I was under a lot of pressure to make sake somehow,” he says.

He did not try to be eccentric, but instead carefully learned the basics one by one, sometimes going to other breweries to learn from them. In his fourth year of sake brewing, the sake he produced won a gold medal at the National New Sake Competition.

Three years later, in 2018, the veteran toji who had supported the brewery for so long retired, and Shinpei became the brewing director. That year, the brewery won the Platinum Award, the highest award in the Junmai Daiginjo category, at Kura Master, a prestigious sake competition for food professionals held in France. The sake brewery won gold again in 2020 and 2021 at the same competition, and has since become the focus of attention both at home and abroad.

Sake brewery renovated into a “place of hospitality

While visiting wineries overseas, Shinpei was surprised to learn that most of them offer tours of the production process and wine tasting with detailed explanations. In Japan, there are still many breweries that do not even offer tours of their breweries.

Tsuneyama Brewery is the closest brewery to JR Fukui Station, so it is not uncommon for visitors from other prefectures to apply for tours or to visit the brewery. We will create a place to entertain such visitors. I thought that if we could present our products directly and add value, we could compete at a higher price than usual,” he said.

In 2018, Shinpei and his mother, the 8th generation, began renovating their brewery. They made use of the zelkova beams, which are over 10 meters long in the historic warehouse, and covered the second floor with plaster walls and cedar plank floors to create a multipurpose space that can be used for business meetings and tours. During the brewing season, the aroma of steaming sake rice rises from the barrels on the first floor, making the design more attractive to visitors.

The label design allows visitors to grasp the flavor image at a glance.

During the same period, we also focused on brushing up the labels and packaging, and from 2018 to 2020, we will be working with Hatooba Shoryu, a crest painter from Kyogen, known for designing the crest of the NOHGA HOTEL UENO hotel in Ueno, Tokyo, and his son and daughter, Yohji and Hatooba Shoryu. Yohji and his son were commissioned to create the branding for the company.

The design of the “Araiso,” a freshly pressed, slightly carbonated sake, features an auspicious sea bream jumping on a navy-gray background reminiscent of the Sea of Japan during the New Year’s holiday season. With its cool design, it attracted a lot of attention each time it was released.

Being loved by the local community is the key to winning.

Standing in the new brewery, where the smell of cedar wood still lingers, and looking at the new Tsuneyama lineup that he has created, Shinpei recalls his father, the seventh generation, who said, “Local sake must be loved by the local people. On the day of the opening of the Tsuneyama Brewery, many people from the Miyama area come to the brewery on a shared bus.

Recently, there has been a sake boom overseas, and more and more products that sell well in Japan are being sought after and shipped across the sea. But I believe that sake that sells well in Japan, sake that has been loved for a long time, is local sake that has cherished its hometown,” says Shinpei. It is the local people who will be the first to drink sake, learn about its qualities, and pass them on. It is the local people who will be the first to drink sake, learn about its qualities, and pass them on. This is where the future of sake lies.

The new Tsuneyama series is designed to enhance the taste of Fukui’s fish dishes and sushi. The ninth-generation brewer is looking to the future with eyes brimming with love for his hometown, saying, “I want to create a sake that has a strong presence so that people will know that this is Tsuneyama when they take a sip, and that they will be reminded of the scenery of Fukui when they drink it.

The post Tsuneyama Shuzo” continues to pursue further possibilities of dry sake while inheriting the spirit of its predecessors/Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Yoshio Sakai, who runs a workshop called “Rokurosha” in the Kawada district of Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, the birthplace of the traditional craft of Echizen lacquerware, has been devising and commercializing minimalist designs that take advantage of the beauty of wood grain, which only a woodworker can appreciate.

The Shrinking Work of the Woodworker

The Kawada area in the mountains east of Sabae City, located in the center of Fukui Prefecture, has been producing Echizen lacquerware for more than 1,500 years. Lacquerware production is based on a division of labor, and even today, craftsmen skilled in such specialized techniques as woodworking, undercoating, intermediate coating, overcoating, and decoration have set up their own workshops and are self-supporting.

Among these, the woodworker is also called a “jijiya” (woodworker) or “rokuro-shi” (turner), because he or she turns a potter’s wheel and applies the blade to the wood to hollow out bowls, trays, and other objects. In Fukui Prefecture, too, the name “Rokuroshi” still remains in Echizen-cho, Niugun, relatively close to the nationally known Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (Katsuyama City), indicating that woodworkers were active in the area.

Today, however, the number of woodworkers has been shrinking due to the spread of inexpensive materials such as plastic that can be cut out of molds, and only a few bowl makers remain in Kawawada. It was 15 years ago that Mr. Sakai, a native of Otaru, Hokkaido, jumped into the “declining sun” of the woodworking industry.

Using the beauty of wood grain in bowls, which only a woodworker knows how to do.

The “BASE” series of vessels, which Mr. Sakai invented and commercialized himself, features a sturdy, vertical design with a beautiful grain of wood and a ceramic-like base. The “wuki-urushi” technique, in which raw or black lacquer is repeatedly applied and wiped off with a cloth, is used to finish the product, so the original wood grain and warmth of the underlying surface can be enjoyed, and the more it is used, the more luster it acquires. The materials used include mizume-zakura, zelkova, tochi, and sen. “I wanted the users to see the charm of the grain that I felt when I was making the wooden base,” says Sakai. By applying lacquer, which is not mixed with pigments or other colors, the fine grains of the wood give it a sense of weight and a modern feel.

Hints of the unique form come from the bowls of the table

The roots of the rugged yet sophisticated shape can be found in old bowls, which Mr. Sakai likes to use. He was inspired by the bowls of the medieval times, when people ate by arranging dishes on the floor or on a table, and took inspiration from Goshika bowls, Yi Dynasty vessels, and ritual vessels made in Noto Town, Ishikawa Prefecture. The bowls are tall, easy to lift, and stable. The bowls are also suitable for serving soups, soups and rice. When used at the table, it does not stand out too much, but when placed on a shelf with other tableware, its linear form gains presence, and the longer it stays with you, the more you will be charmed by its expression that changes over time.

Receiving an order for tableware during a consultation

Another of Mr. Sakai’s representative products is the “Only Bowl. Using a “rokurosha,” a wagon that has been converted to allow work on it, he visits stores and events throughout Japan to give demonstrations and create original bowls by semi-custom order, combining shapes and lacquers. The material is zelkova, and there are five shapes, including kihon, hazori (edge warp), and tsubomi. The shapes of the bowls are also incorporated into the bowls, such as “Imoni Bowl” for Yamagata Prefecture, “Sara Udon Dish” for Nagasaki Prefecture, and so on, which are familiar to the locales and climates of the regions they have visited. Seven types of lacquering are available, including clear, wipe lacquer, and shin-nuri. The shape of the bowl is determined by counseling the customer face to face, asking them what shape, size, and purpose they need. He also provides detailed instructions on how to care for them.

A young man who wanted to be free became a craftsman.

Mr. Sakai, who is tackling new challenges one after another, says of himself, “I always want to be free, and I don’t have any goals or plans. I am the type of person who goes his own way,” he analyzes. In his youth, he attended design school, went abroad, and wandered around the country until he was 25 years old, He decided to learn the techniques as a trainee at the Echizen Lacquer Ware Cooperative Association.

Questions about the position of the wood craftsman in the production area

After three years of training, he established his own business, Rokurosha, in 2014 at the age of 34. At the same time, he got married, but opportunities for subcontract work did not present themselves for a craftsman with little experience. My wife’s parents are also craftsmen, so they were worried that I would have to bow down to the wholesalers or join the union,” he said. However, Mr. Sakai saw the decline of the production area while continuing to do things the old-fashioned way, and he had his doubts.

The vessels worked on by subcontractors simply go through the process of making lacquerware and then into distribution. They have no opportunity to communicate the quality of their products to the outside world, and they do not know how much they are priced. Mr. Sakai felt that if he could communicate the high quality of the bowls made in Kawada, they would reach the people who use them.

Plant planter born as an original project

If I can’t get work, I’ll make it myself,” he thought. He began planning an original product to be exhibited at trade shows and directly communicate the quality of his products to users.

He decided that there was no need to stick only to eating utensils in the first place. He changed his point of view and created a planter for plants using thinned cedar wood from Fukui Prefecture. Under the concept of “redefining value,” the planter was made of a material that would return to the soil in the end, and was designed with the idea of enjoying the fun of the process of cracking, splitting, and decay as it is used.

A path pioneered by a woodworker who cannot be pigeonholed into the conventional wisdom

The “TIMBER POT” was carved from a cedar log that had withstood the wind and snow of deep snow in Fukui, and designed without painting to bring the individuality of the grain expression to the fore. The product was exhibited at Interior Lifestyle 2015, an international trade fair for interior and lifestyle product design held at Tokyo’s Big Sight, where it received the “Young Designer Award” for the best designer.

A big breakthrough for “TIMBER POT.”

The extra prize was an invitation to ” Ambiente ” in Germany, the world’s largest interior trade fair. It was a great stimulus to be in a place where designers and buyers from all over the world gathered. In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected the company for “The WONDER500,” a project to promote local products to overseas markets. The concept and design of the “TIMBER POT” became the talk of the town, and was covered by many media outlets.

Only one year after becoming independent. As his name became well known, the number of subcontracting jobs increased, but then the business gradually slowed down. In the process, Sakai began to realize the immaturity of his own skills as a wood craftsman.

The response he got from the “RENEW” event in the production area

He felt that he could not compete on the same playing field as a woodworker who had been grinding on a full-fledged wheel. At that time, a trade fair ” RENEW ” was held in which traditional craftsmen in the Kawada district and other areas cooperated with each other. It was a large-scale event for traditional crafts, attracting about 37,000 visitors over three days (in 2022), including many studio tours and talk events.

Among them, Mr. Sakai’s only bowl was well received by the younger generation who visited. There are definitely people who are interested in and cherish tradition, and they go to great lengths to visit the countryside,” said Mr. Sakai. We hope we can deliver our approach to craftsmanship and our commitment to quality to these people,” he said.

He would make samples of each process, including shape, paint, and process, and explain them directly to customers face-to-face. Seeing a breakthrough in this area, Sakai decided to travel throughout Japan himself, relying on acquaintances with whom he had been maintaining close ties through social networking services and other means.

Winning Patterns” in Human Connections

As he traveled to nationally known boutiques and small local general merchandise stores to take orders for bowls, “I began to see a winning pattern,” he said. Orders are paid for in advance, but delivery takes six months, and the price is a hefty 10,000 to 20,000 yen. Even so, he has found that the motivation to purchase Mr. Sakai’s bowls is not the location or brand, but trust in the person. In other words, going to a place where people (shopkeepers) are accompanied by people (customers), and then carefully conveying one’s thoughts and feelings to foster trust in the product is what moves customers.

The Challenge of Crowdfunding

Next, Mr. Sakai came up with the outlandish idea of moving the workshop itself and having customers watch him work at various destinations. He believed that responding to customers’ detailed requests on the spot and allowing them to experience the manufacturing process itself would lead to the greatest trust and interest in his products. Local wood could also be used as a material.

Thus, in June 2020, Sakai launched a crowdfunding campaign for the production of a mobile workshop “rokurosha,” and thanks to widespread enthusiasm expressed through social networking and talk events, the project was a success with much support from the younger generation, mainly from urban areas. The project raised approximately 3.3 million yen, nearly twice the target amount. The completed “rokurosha” has now visited 20 stores in 15 prefectures.

Thinking about the lacquerware industry as a craftsman who lives in the production area

Currently, Mr. Sakai is actively planning original products. He is actively involved in the planning of original products. He also undertakes product planning in collaboration with interior design stores and other companies, and shares the work he creates with local craftspeople. He says, “I hope I can be of some help in making the production area as prosperous as possible and helping it to survive.

Facing the world anew as a craftsman

Even now that his manufacturing business is on track, Mr. Sakai feels that “in the end, what I have been doing is not the high road as a craftsman.

What I devote most of my time to now is facing the process of making. He spends more time in the workshop to further develop his skills and knowledge. He is also interested in researching the history of wood-working and the Ainu lacquerware culture of his native Hokkaido.

He says, “I had never studied craft, design, art, or business properly, so I had to research and learn each time. But before I knew it, it had become part of my blood.

His own projects have led to an increase in business, and the production area has become more prosperous. In this way, he has felt the joy of working on projects with the help of “everyone. Now, however, he thinks it is more important to improve his own skills as a craftsman and hone his techniques. I feel that communicating this to the public will add something new to the craftsmanship of the production area.

How will the vessels that Mr. Sakai creates in the future change? The future of the wood craftsman may be one of the patterns that emerge.

The post Beautiful vessels with an appearance made by a wood craftsman of Echizen lacquerware who is not bound by the region of production Rokurosha, Yoshio Sakai / Sabae, Fukui, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Echizen hammered blades are said to have a history of about 700 years. It became a specialty of the Echizen City area, once called Echizen Province, and was protected by the Fukui Domain during the Edo period, and in 1970 it was designated as a traditional craft for the first time in Japan. In this rare production area, Masaru Kurosaki is a blacksmith who attracts the world with his knives that combine outstanding sharpness, lightness, durability, and beautiful design.

10,000 knives were reserved, and a three-year waiting list was required.

Echizen Uchihamono is produced in Echizen City, located in the center of Fukui Prefecture, about 10 minutes by car east of the nearest JR Takefu Station in Ikeizumi Town, which is also close to the production center of Echizen washi paper. In recent years, Echizen hammered blades have been highly acclaimed by chefs in Japan and abroad for their modern design and sharpness, but there was a time when the industry was on the verge of serious decline. The “Takefu Knife Village,” completed in 1993, saved the company from this crisis.

The “Takefu Knife Village” has continued to operate as a revolutionary joint workshop where blacksmiths cooperate with each other and nurture their successors. It is now jointly operated by 13 cutlery companies, and in addition to the 40 or so blacksmiths who work together, there is also a direct sales center and a cooperative association. Yu Kurosaki, who became an independent craftsman after completing his apprenticeship here, is now a world-renowned master craftsman of hammered blades.

Kurosaki has his own workshop and store, Kurosaki Uchihamono, next to Takefu Knife Village. The knives produced by Mr. Kurosaki in his workshop have attracted a great deal of attention and are so popular that he has received approximately 10,000 reservations from users around the world, including top chefs in every genre of cuisine, such as Japanese, French, and Spanish, with a three-year waiting list before they are delivered.

Attracting Top Chefs from Japan and Abroad

Mr. Kurosaki receives many offers from overseas to come to Japan and give demonstrations. He has coordinated with trading companies to give sharpening demonstrations in European countries such as Paris, France, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, as well as in Calgary, Canada, where he demonstrated tapping and forging blades, and in New York, USA, where he exhibited at an exhibition.

In meeting with overseas chefs and other users, he was asked for “lightness” and “design” when he held the knives. Mr. Kurosaki has applied what he learned to his own knife making, and orders have been pouring in, with overseas orders now accounting for 80% of all orders. Chefs from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, Europe, and even South Africa, visit Mr. Kurosaki’s workshop to observe his work.

Of course, Michelin-starred chefs of Japanese cuisine, sushi, French cuisine, and so on are waiting for Mr. Kurosaki’s knives in Japan.

Thin, sharp, and durable kitchen knives

Why are the knives produced by Mr. Kurosaki so highly regarded by top chefs? It is simple,” says Mr. Kurosaki. They are thin, sharp, and durable,” Kurosaki says.

Double-edged Western-style kitchen knives are generally thicker than single-edged Japanese-style knives, but Mr. Kurosaki’s double-edged knives are made to be as thin as possible, making them light, sharp, and fatigue-free for chefs. Furthermore, using traditional Echizen Uchihamono techniques not found in other production centers, the blade edge is rounded like a clam to prevent blade spillage.

Although the ultimate thinness of the blade and its strength are normally contradictory, Mr. Kurosaki produces knives that are both thin and strong through forging, a process in which the blade is thoroughly tempered to increase its strength.

Forging” is a process in which metal is beaten to increase its strength. The name “forging” refers to the process of “forging to create.

Echizen forged knives are made strong in the tradition of Echizen hammered blades.

Most kitchen knives used in the home are generally made from steel or stainless steel sheets that are passed through a large machine to the appropriate thickness, and then punched out into the shape of a kitchen knife. This type of knife can be mass-produced efficiently and at a reasonable price.

On the other hand, Kurosaki Uchihamono forges each knife by purchasing the highest quality steel, which is made by laminating the base metal steel with stainless steel for the blade, from a local metal manufacturer. The steel is heated to about 800 degrees in a furnace, and the forging process is repeated to make the metal structure uniform and create a strong blade. At this point, they make full use of a technique unique to Echizen hammered blades called “Nippai Haki” ( two-ply spreading). The “Ni-Haihatsu” is a process in which two blades are heated while stacked on top of each other and struck from the front and back with a belt hammer. The overlapping of the two blades doubles the thickness of the blade, making it harder for the temperature to drop and the force of the belt hammer to be transmitted properly, making it easier to stretch the steel. This results in a blade that is thinner than a single piece. The blade is then coated with mud, heated, quickly cooled with water, and sharpened.

Beauty like jewelry

The beauty of Kurosaki Uchihamono’s knives is also a major feature of its products, and the one-of-a-kind design of Mr. Kurosaki’s knives is sure to attract chefs from all over the world.

Mr. Kurosaki creates a “tsuchime” pattern on the side of his knives. The “tsuchime” is a pattern created by tapping the surface of the knife, and Mr. Kurosaki was the first to incorporate the “tsuchime” pattern into a kitchen knife. After thousands of prototypes, he created five original designs: “Shizuku,” “Fujin,” “Raijin,” “Jyugyo,” and “Senko. For the handle material, turquoise is used in addition to natural wood, and combined with “hammered” wood, the result is a beautiful knife that looks like a piece of jewelry.

Mr. Kurosaki was certified as a traditional craftsman in 2019. While he is committed to carrying on the traditions of the Echizen hammered cutlery production area, he dares to focus on the “present” rather than tradition in his own knife making. He has cultivated an eye for what is required in this modern age through his own efforts to become independent after undergoing rigorous training, and to venture out into the world on his own.

To create a new history of Echizen hammered blades

Mr. Kurosaki, who is now attracting attention from around the world, first encountered knife making when he was 22 years old and moving from job to job, when he happened to find a job offer for a kitchen knife smith. At first, he went to visit the workshop and the master showed him his work. The fire in the furnace burning fiercely, the craftsman pounding the iron….　After experiencing the knife-making process, Mr. Kurosaki felt strongly that it was “cool,” and immediately started working at the company the next day.

Encounter with knife making

Mr. Kurosaki, who had “never lasted long in anything he did before,” worked under his master for 12 years.

It was dirty, noisy, hot, and scalding. It was dirty, noisy, hot, and scalding, and the master would get angry easily. But I could get through it. I liked manufacturing and found it interesting.

After gaining experience under his master, Kurosaki began to think, “I want to use this technique as a weapon to become famous and go global. A breakthrough came from a trading company that had been paying attention to Mr. Kurosaki. When Mr. Kurosaki brought his knives to a knife store in Canada, the first order was for only six knives, but from there, the reputation of Mr. Kurosaki’s knives slowly spread on SNS, and orders from overseas began to pour in. Following the recommendation of his master who saw this, he founded Kurosaki Uchihamono in 2014, and the following year, the workshop was completed. It was the first time in 40 years in the production area that the company became independent in a new workshop rather than being taken over.

Training people in a modern workshop

The workshop of Kurosaki Uchihamono is well organized and thoroughly cleaned every day, so it is spotless. I think it is the cleanest workshop in the world,” Kurosaki says proudly. The same rational and modern thinking that cleanliness makes good work possible also applies to the training of younger workers.

I don’t like to be angry with young people. I want to improve together.” Under Kurosaki’s supervision, two young apprentices are honing their skills. Mr. Kurosaki posted a job offer at the “Knife Village” cooperative, and among the applicants, he hired two people from outside the prefecture who “didn’t know who he was. The two apprentices are now mainly in charge of sharpening, and will spend the next 10 years or more in training.

Going global with his apprentices

Mr. Kurosaki encourages his apprentices to create their own works of art in their spare time. The Kurosaki Uchihamono workshop is located next to the Takefu Knife Village, making it possible for apprentices to learn from other blacksmiths and to interact with other apprentices. Kurosaki says, “I want my apprentices to become traditional craftsmen while taking advantage of the environment, and I want us to go around the world together.

A new workshop is currently under construction next door to the studio, scheduled for completion in May 2023.

We are planning to take on another apprentice at the new studio,” Kurosaki said. But I don’t plan to make it too large. I want to work with my apprentices in a spacious workshop.

Mr. Kurosaki’s current goal is to create a high-end line of kitchen knives that will receive even higher acclaim. If we can create satisfactory products in an environment that we are satisfied with, the value of Kurosaki Uchihamono will increase even more. Mr. Kurosaki’s challenge is framed by a newness that cannot be contained by the word “tradition,” as he says with a wry smile, “Continuing to produce kitchen knives that are sought after around the world in the Echizen region will be a source of pride for the entire region and an important asset to be passed down to the future.

The post Orders are pouring in from top chefs in Japan and abroad. Yu Kurosaki, a revolutionary of Echizen hammered blades / Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

Amanatsu is a long-established restaurant that offers a lineup of products made from high-quality seafood, including “Echizen Tailored Shio Uni” (sea urchin).
Shio Uni,” with its rich flavor and concentrated aroma of the sea, has a reputation for being the best tasting sea urchin
.
You can enjoy the taste created by the commitment to the region of origin, careful handiwork that has remained unchanged for over 200 years,
and an inquisitive mind for flavor.

Amanatatsu, located in Fukui City in northern Fukui Prefecture, is said to be one of Japan’s top three sea urchin delicacies, along with karasumi (dried mullet roe) and konawata (sea urchin roe). Junichi Amano, the 11th generation owner of Amanotatsu, who has inherited the 200-year history of Amanotatsu, is striving to preserve the traditional taste while looking ahead to the next 200 years and conveying the charm of “Shio-Uni” to the next generation.

Deep Relationship with the Echizen Fukui Clan

The main store of Tentatsu is located in Katamachi, a busy shopping district in the center of Fukui City. The area is dotted with historical relics , including the ruins of Fukui Castle, Yohko-kan Garden, a villa of the Echizen Fukui feudal lord, and the ruins of Kitanosho Castle, the former residence of Katsuie Shibata.

Tentatsu” was founded in 1804 as a purveyor to the Fukui Domain, and the third generation of the family, Gohee Tennouya, created salted sea urchin (product name: “Shio-Uni”). It is said that this was inspired by an order from the feudal lord of the Echizen Fukui domain to develop a food that could be stored for a long time in case of an attack on the sea.

The third generation, under orders from the feudal lord, apparently spent many days walking along the coast from Mikuni Port to Tsuruga Port in the northwestern part of Fukui Prefecture, searching for ingredients and came upon sea urchin, which had been caught in abundance since that time. He then invented the “salting method,” which is the production method for “shio uni” (sea urchin). It is said that he taught this method to fishermen and divers along the Echizen coast, who collected the sea urchin and presented it to the clan as a tribute. Because it was made on the Echizen coast, Shio-uni was also called Echizen-undan (sea urchin),” says Amano.

As time passed, the seventh generation Tenno-ya Tatsukichi was called “Tentatsu,” an abbreviation of the name of the feudal lord Matsudaira Harutake, who was considered one of the Four Wise Generals at the end of the Edo period. Because of this close relationship with the Matsudaira family, the wrapping paper for “Shio Uni” uses a map of the ruins of Fukui Castle from the Edo period as a motif.

Prepared entirely by hand

Shio Uni” is made by sprinkling salt on the ovaries of Buffoon sea urchins, draining their water, and then letting them mature to a mild flavor. Early in the morning, the divers catch the sea urchins, crack open the 2-3 cm shells, and take out the sea urchins so as not to damage their contents. The shells are then placed in the abalone shells and carefully rinsed in salt water.

The sea urchins are then drained and placed on a coarse-mesh mat. The sea urchins are then covered with salt, turning them one by one with chopsticks to get the right “saltiness”. The sea urchin is then placed on a coarse sesame mat, and each sea urchin is turned over one by one with chopsticks and sprinkled with salt to the right “saltiness”.

The careful preparation of the sea urchin by hand and the scarcity of more than 100 pieces of sea urchin required to make 100 grams of “Shio Un i “ are the reasons why it is called the highest quality sea urchin.

A special gift in a paulownia wood box

It is said that “Shio-uni” was invented as a preservative food for the “ikusa” (a kind of warship). It is said that “even though it was a preserved food, since it was to be presented to the lord, he must have sought novelty and deliciousness. I think the fruit of these efforts was ‘shio uni’ (sea urchin),” Amano surmises. As the peace of Edo continued, “shio uni” became not only a preserved food but also a delicacy representative of the Fukui clan. Because it lasted for a long time, it was also valued as a gift, and the feudal lord allowed it to be placed in a paulownia box.

The tradition of packing in paulownia boxes, which enhanced the value of the product as a gift in the Edo period, has been handed down to the present day. Along with plastic containers with high preservation qualities, and pottery and lacquered containers, “Shio-Uni” in a paulownia box still retains its special value as a gift for a loved one.

Looking ahead to the next 200 years

The “history” that has continued since the Edo period has enhanced the value of the “Shio Uni” brand. As the heir to this history, the current owner, Mr. Amano, has a growing sense of urgency. The reason is that the catch of the raw material, the Buffoon sea urchin, has been decreasing nationwide. The catch from Fukui Prefecture has dropped to one-tenth of its peak.

In recent years, “Tentatsu” has been visiting all over Japan to cultivate production areas other than its home prefecture of Fukui, such as Tottori and Nagasaki. The company also purchases “shio uni” produced not only in Japan but also in overseas regions. All of them are made from buffoon sea urchins.

Amano says, “We want to continue to use the small, rich-tasting buff sea urchin from the Echizen coast for our ‘Shio Uni,’ which is made from the same sea urchin. The “sweetness” unique to buff sea urchin is the reason why he insists on using buff sea urchin. I have also tried purple sea urchin and red sea urchin. In my opinion, the purple sea urchin is not as sweet as the red sea urchin. The soft sweetness of the Buffoon sea urchin fills the mouth. He also thinks that the diversity of the sea urchin’s region of origin is an attractive feature of the product. Red sea urchins come from a limited number of regions. Buffoon sea urchins come from a wide variety of regions, so you can enjoy different flavors in each region.

The reason why Amano makes his “Shio-Uni” in the places where they are caught, and why Amano buys it from them, is because he wants to respect the food culture unique to the region.

In order to protect the marine resource of the buffoon sea urchin, Mr. Amano is participating in an effort to fully cultivate the buffoon sea urchin with the Fukui Prefectural Fisheries Experiment Station, university professors researching sea urchin cultivation, and fishermen.

Blending sea urchins to determine their maturity

The sea urchins collected at Tentatsu are left to mature at low temperatures for one, two, and three years. The staff, who are called “blenders” at Tentatsu, blend the sea urchin to the optimum blend after determining the state of maturity of each sea urchin. Shio uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido, Tottori, and Nagasaki is used. The blended sea urchin becomes Ten-Tatsu’s signature product , Echizen-Shite Shio Uni. This aging and blending technique is the source of the delicious taste.

Mr. Amano is confident in saying that this is the best time to taste it.

A research conducted jointly by the Fukui Prefectural Food Processing Research Institute and Tentatsu revealed that the bitterness component of Shio Uni is reduced by aging, and the umami and sweetness of the sea urchin are relatively enhanced. What we had known from experience was now scientifically proven.

Conveying Flavor by Production Area

In October 2022, the company began selling “Shio Uni” according to region of production as a new trial. Only at the main Amanatatsu store, customers can purchase shio uni from Oshima Beach in Fukui, Pohang in Korea, and Funadomari in Hokkaido. Because of the limited number of sea urchins available, they are not sold at branches or via the Internet.

This is an attempt to convey the fact that sea urchins are omnivorous and their taste varies depending on the sea in which they are grown. For example, sea urchins from Fukui are characterized by their rich flavor and sweetness, with a moderate saltiness in the aftertaste. The Korean product has a mellow taste with an aroma of the seashore. Hokkaido produce has a moderately bitter and salty taste.

In 2011, the company revived “dried sea urchin,” which once ceased to exist in the early Showa period. Unlike “Shio-Uni,” which is made by pickling sea urchin in salt water, “Dried Sea Urchin” is made by heating sea urchin in salt water and then drying it. The company has also expanded product variations based on “Shio-Uni. Powdered Sea Urchin” is a luxurious sprinkling of “Echizen Tailored Shio Uni” that has been dried and powdered. Undan Awase” combines the sauce made from “Shio Uni” with natural abalone, snow crab, sweet shrimp, and other ingredients.

Fusion of tradition and modernity

The company is also beginning to fuse the traditional Japanese ingredient “shio uni” with Western cuisine. They have developed Western-style products such as “Sea Urchin Bisque,” which uses sea urchin in bisque, a French soup, and “Sea Urchin Gratin. Recently, they have added a new product, “Unotan Ahijo,” in which sea urchin is simmered in olive oil and garlic.

Shio Uni has long been loved as a snack with sake, but it is also excellent on rice. We would like to propose ways to eat it and offer variations in cooking so that people, especially the younger generation, who are unfamiliar with shio uni will discover its deliciousness,” says Amano.

We have also asked chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants to help us explore the possibilities of Shio Uni as an ingredient. At a collaboration dinner between famous chefs from Tokyo and Fukui, a specialty dish was served with caviar and “Shio Uni”.

Amano continues to update its products to pass on its ancient traditions to the future, and in the fall of 2022, a new factory with thorough temperature control and hygiene management will be opened. At the new factory, Mr. Amano talks about his dream. I want to continue the 200-year history of Amanatatsu for the next 200 years. I want to continue the 200-year history of Amano’s sea urchins and deliver to the world the joy that can only be experienced at Shio Uni.

In the eyes of the 11th generation owner, I see a future in which the Fukui-born food culture, which has been passed down through a series of new changes, will attract the attention of the world.

People’s tastes and preferences change with the times, and although Shio Uni has been around for more than 200 years, Amano aims to create the most delicious taste of each era. We want our customers to simply enjoy our delicious sea urchins. Our spirit will never change, and we will continue to pursue the taste of our local delicacy in gratitude to our hometown, Fukui.

The post Echizen-Shio Uni”, the highest quality sea urchin produced by “Tentatsu” with 200 years of history / Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan first appeared on NIHONMONO.

The Imadate area, located on the east side of Echizen City in central Fukui Prefecture, is a major production center of Echizen washi with a history of 1,500 years and is home to Okata Shrine and Otaki Shrine, the only shrines in the country dedicated to the god of paper. Yoshinao Sugihara, who took over the 150-year-old washi wholesaler Sugihara Shoten in this “village of washi,” is bringing a new style to the world of washi by connecting producers and modern needs with ideas and energy.

The Challenge of a 150-Year-Old Washi Wholesaler

Mr. Sugihara is the 10th generation of a long-established washi wholesaler and calls himself a “washi sommelier. As a wholesaler, his work is not limited to purchasing washi from producers and wholesaling it. He also plans and sells large-format washi as interior decorations for spaces, including products that reconstruct washi in response to the changing times. The company’s connections with local washi producers make it possible to develop innovative products. Each producer has its own specialty. They are asked to make use of these to meet the needs of modern consumers and clients in Japan and abroad. It is Mr. Sugihara who wields the tact. Like a sommelier who selects wines according to taste.

Making the most of washi compatible with home-use printers

Sugihara Shoten now sells washi paper worldwide. Mr. Sugihara’s path to prosperity has not been a smooth one.

In 1988, when Mr. Sugihara returned to his hometown at the age of 26 after working for Kozu Sangyo, a washi wholesaler that had been in business for nearly 370 years, and joined Sugihara Shoten, the washi industry was facing a period of decline. Demand for fusuma paper, which had been rising steadily during the high-growth period of the Japanese economy, had plummeted due to the westernization of housing and the decrease in the number of Japanese-style rooms. Echizen washi, which had previously excelled at fusuma paper, suffered a major blow. Sugihara, who was concerned about the survival of the Echizen washi industry, decided that the survival of Echizen washi would depend on the survival of the washi producing region, and he decided to establish Sugihara Shoten. With this sense of crisis, Mr. Sugihara began to develop washi products in response to the changing times.

The result was “habutae paper,” which can be printed on a home printer. Washi paper is originally designed so that characters will not bleed through when written on with ink. However, it is a fact that the custom of writing characters with ink on a daily basis is disappearing, except for calligraphers. Habutae paper was created by applying a device to Japanese paper to prevent blotting even with ink. The variation in thickness was also groundbreaking for washi. This washi, named after a textile representative of Fukui Prefecture, once known as the “Habutae Kingdom,” was a hit, perfectly capturing the changes of the times with the widespread use of printers.

Hand-rolled sheets of washi paper called “Chigitate Meisho” (tear-off business cards)

After feeling the pressure to develop new washi products, Mr. Sugihara turned his attention to a use for paper that would not become obsolete despite the advance of digitalization. It was business cards, which are indispensable for face-to-face business. Instead of cutting the paper apart from the beginning, he folded a sheet of Japanese paper into a business card by tearing it off by hand. The name of the new product is “Tear-off business cards. Even the edges, which have been torn off and fluffed up, have a washi-like appearance. The traditional “sukashi” technique was adopted in the development of this product, and the folded part is finished with sukashi to make it easy to tear off by hand. Tear-off business cards” have been introduced on TV and other media, and have been a big hit. Today, the company produces not only business cards, but also sheets of washi with motifs of animals, flowers, etc. The “Tchigitte” series has been used for a variety of purposes. The “Chigitte” series offers a wide range of variations.

Lacquer on Washi. A New Encounter of Traditional Crafts

Next, Mr. Sugihara planned to collaborate with traditional crafts. In the Echizen City area of Fukui Prefecture, where Echizen Washi paper is produced, a variety of other traditional crafts are also thriving. One of them is lacquer, which is essential for Echizen lacquerware, and we wondered if we could use it in our washi products. The result is “Urushi Washi. The result of a trial-and-error process, Urushi-Washi has the appeal of a leathery look that has been used for a long time, created by the combination of Japanese paper and lacquer. The lightness of the paper is retained, while the water resistance is enhanced by the lacquer coating. Soon after its commercialization, Urushi-Washi won the grand prize of “DESIGN WAVE FUKUI,” which honors products with excellent design in Fukui Prefecture.

Expanding Washi’s Sales Channels and Possibilities

Habutae Washi,” “Tear-off Business Cards,” and “Lacquer Washi. All of these products are products that have successfully revived a tradition that has lived on in the region and adapted it to modern needs. However, there were many difficulties when they were first launched. The more innovative a product is, the longer it takes for the world to accept it. Mr. Sugihara’s product was no exception, and he was particularly persistent in his discussions with producers. When he consulted with his existing customers, he was told that they were interested in his interesting product but did not know how to sell it. The same was true for Mr. Sugihara himself.

He decided that he had no choice but to do it himself. Mr. Sugihara personally went to major retailers such as Tokyu Hands, with whom he had no previous business relationship, to develop sales channels. He made a number of innovations to make it easier for retailers to sell his products, such as cutting Japanese paper into A4 size, and gradually gained acceptance.

A Fateful Encounter at an Exhibition

Sugihara Shoten is proud that it was able to develop sales channels to some extent and create products that connect washi to consumers. This brought a future to Sugihara Shoten. However, when I looked at the entire washi production area, “washi-no-Sato,” I wondered if I could do something more. For a long time, he remained conflicted.

Then came a fateful encounter.

Sugihara Shoten was also exhibiting at a “craft exhibition” held in Fukui Prefecture. It was a routine stall every year, but a prominent design consultant I met at the exhibition had this to say to me. Do you know that Japanese paper is in demand in architecture?”

Washi paper in architecture?　I had no idea what he meant. When I was at a loss for words, the consultant told me to attend the exhibition. Feeling something like fate, Mr. Sugihara decided to exhibit at IPEC, an international exhibition on interior design held at Tokyo Big Sight, despite his misgivings.

This was the catalyst for a leap forward. He was the first in the Japanese paper industry to exhibit there, and received an Encouragement Award. In addition, Sugihara Shoten received an order for a tremendous amount of washi paper to be used as a building material for Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, which was under construction at the time. Mr. Sugihara says, “I went to the exhibition.

We went to exhibitions, made connections with designers and planners, and started going abroad. What surprised me was their appreciation of the beauty of washi. Washi as a construction material is extraordinary in terms of both unit price and amount used. That is when I rediscovered the high potential of Echizen washi.

All for the sake of enhancing the value of washi

Echizen Washi as a construction material, for which Mr. Sugihara paved the way, is gaining further recognition. Echizen washi was used for the walls and pillars of the Lyon City Hall in France, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Stadium, the lounge at New Chitose Airport, the entrance to Mita Hospital in Tokyo, and the new facility “Eshikoto ” of the Kuroryu Sake Brewery, one of Fukui’s representative sake breweries, where Sugihara Shoten’s Echizen washi was used as restaurant wallpaper. Echizen Washi, handled by Sugihara Shoten, was used as the restaurant’s wallpaper.

Encounters with People through Washi

Sugihara Shoten has continued to innovate as a wholesaler of Echizen washi. While the distribution of this paper has fallen into disuse due to the shrinkage of its existing uses, the company has created new demand through sales at major retailers and in the form of construction materials.

The catalyst and driving force behind this challenge has been the relationships with people he meets wherever he goes. Through Echizen Washi, I want to create a “place” where people can engage with each other in a richer way. I believe that there will be further innovations that will be created through the effects of these places.

A 100-year-old storehouse converted into a washi gallery

The fruit of Mr. Sugihara’s vision is “Washi Shop,” a washi gallery opened on the premises of Sugihara Shoten. The Wagamiya, which was renovated from a 100-year-old warehouse adjacent to the company’s premises, exhibits washi works as interior decorations and art, such as lighting fixtures and vessels, as well as samples of kozo, mitsumata, and gampi, the raw materials used to make washi, and the paper from which they are made. A huge tapestry of washi hanging from the ceiling is also a highlight. Washi items such as “Habutae Washi,” “Tear-off Business Cards,” and “Lacquer Washi” are also available for purchase.

Mr. Sugihara welcomes visitors with hand-brewed coffee and responds to clients’ requests to actually touch the washi and listen to their stories. He is truly a sommelier of washi as he searches for the best proposal while explaining the historical background and transition of washi.

A deserted century-old warehouse was transformed into a place for people to gather through the use of washi. Washi has the power to connect people with each other, and will surely survive,” says Sugihara.

I will listen to various people and try everything through trial and error. In the process, I hope to find something new.

Sugihara Shoten will continue to connect people with Echizen washi and weave a new tradition of washi.

The post Echizen Washi connects people and creates new traditions. Yoshinao Sugihara, 10th generation of washi wholesaler Sugihara Shoten / Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.

The Kawada district of Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, is said to be the oldest lacquerware production area in Japan.
The long-established company, Ururindo, has been in this area for eight generations since the Edo period.
While carrying on the traditions, the company develops and offers products that meet the needs of modern life with the idea of “making lacquerware more easily accessible for everyday use.

The company proposes dishes that are a part of daily life, such as dishwasher-safe, hand-lacquered lacquerware.

Echizen lacquerware, produced in the Kawada district in the eastern part of Sabae City, located near the center of Fukui Prefecture, has long held an approximately 80% share of the domestic commercial lacquerware market. However, the industry has been shrinking due to the diversification of eating habits and the spread of inexpensive plastic tableware. Against this backdrop, Lacquyurindo branded itself and produced lacquerware suited to the modern age. The company’s colorful and functional dishwasher-safe dishes have attracted attention from around the world, and have rewritten the history of lacquerware.

Kawada area specializes in lacquerware for commercial use.

Echizen lacquerware was designated by the national government as a traditional craft in 1975. The Kawada district is located in the center of Fukui Prefecture, in the eastern part of Sabae City, known for its eyeglasses, and in a quiet basin separated by a mountain from the Ichijodani Asakura clan ruins, which are famous as a historical war site. The entire region is involved in the production of lacquerware, and each of the craftsmen involved in the process of making lacquerware, including the woodworker, the basemaker, the lacquerer, and the maki-e artist, have their own workshops where they work hard at their specialized fields of study.

At its peak, the company accounted for approximately 80% of the domestic market share of commercial lacquerware for inns and restaurants.

According to one theory, Kawada lacquerware has a history of more than 1,500 years. It is said that the history of Kawawada lacquerware dates back to the re-painting of the broken crown of Emperor Keita, and since then, the company has grown to account for about 80% of the domestic share of commercial lacquerware used at inns and restaurants.

A professional group of “lacquer scrapers” was also born, who went to work throughout the country to collect lacquer solution, and they influenced the lacquer industry in various regions by popularizing iron knives for scratching lacquer. In Kawawada, not only individual craftsmen, but also companies that handle all aspects of the lacquer industry have grown. One of these companies, Ururindo, is a long-established lacquerware manufacturer that has been in business for more than 200 years, since 1793.

Times are changing, and areas of expertise are blocking the future.

Kawawada, a lacquerware production center, specializes in making-to-order products that respond flexibly to clients’ requirements. The company captured the commercial lacquerware market mainly for inns and restaurants, thanks to its durability to withstand hard use, the price range demanded by clients, and the practicality of its ability to mass produce. After the end of the bubble economy, however, needs for lacquerware declined sharply due to competition from inexpensive overseas products, the rise of plastic products, changes in eating habits, and the diversification of tableware. The industry was shrinking day by day, and the production centers were faced with the problem.

The heirs of long-established businesses focused on the high hurdles that only a production center can overcome.

Lacquerware production and sales have been run by a family business centered on the lacquerware shop business, and “Ururindo” was one of the companies that were troubled by sluggish sales. However, while Kawada was struggling to keep up with the rapid changes of the times, Toru Uchida, who was in his early 20s, decided to take over the family business.

In his youth, he was obsessed with baseball and went on to study physical education at a university outside of the prefecture. People around him had high expectations for his large hands that firmly grasped the ball, which were suitable for a painter. Knowing the state of the industry, he could not make up his mind to take over the family business even before graduating from college, but lacquerware was on his mind during his job search. When I visited an interior design company, I wondered if my family’s lacquerware could be displayed there,” he said.

Determination to “take on the responsibility of the production area

I was aware of the nature of the problems in the production area, but I was also aware that it was difficult to sell lacquerware. As he realized the true nature of the problems facing the production area, Mr. Uchida decided to live in the world of lacquerware. When he returned to his hometown as a student, he saw his grandfather, father, and family working with sincerity. He decided that if he was going to take over the family business someday, he wanted to use the time he spent working at other companies and taking side trips to train in the art of lacquering. As soon as he returned home, he began learning the techniques of lacquering from his grandfather and father.

Launching new brands one after another to repaint the traditional beauty of Echizen lacquerware

Although he learned the techniques handed down in his family from generation to generation and started his career as a lacquerware master, the industry itself lacked vigor, and company sales were declining. The theory behind commercial-use lacquerware is that it should be made in specific sizes for specific purposes, such as for soup bowls, simmered dish bowls, and stopper bowls, and that it should be decorated with seasonal and glittering maki-e lacquerware. The bowls were not sold to the general public because they were a little too flashy and difficult to use for home use. In the course of receiving a large number of orders, he came to believe that if he only handled one of the processes of making lacquerware as a craftsman, he would not be able to understand the needs and satisfaction of the people who use his lacquerware and would not be able to convey the ingenuity and feeling he had put into his work.

What kind of vessels are needed by ordinary users in the world today? Without determining this, there is no way for a production center to make a living. Mr. Uchida began to produce a brand of lacquerware for individuals under the name of Ururindo, and he personally participated in exhibitions and sales at department stores, which was rare for a lacquerware production center at that time.

Lacquerware itself is used as interior decoration. AISOMO COSOMO

The next step Mr. Uchida took was to entrust the production of his own products to a professional. He asked Hirotoshi Maruwaka, a product producer at Maruwakaya, who was known for proposing a new kind of manufacturing by connecting traditional Japanese craftsmanship and the latest technology. The series, which added a playful touch of color to the concept of “familiarity,” made its debut as aisomo cosomo, a line of interior goods. He immediately had them placed in the stores of a large museum outside of the prefecture, but at first they were not even looked at. After a year, however, the series was exhibited at the “Dainippon Ichiba” (Dai Nippon Ichiba), an event organized by Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten, a company that has been developing and manufacturing products based on the vision of “revitalizing traditional Japanese crafts,” and was picked up by major department stores and national-class boutiques one after another.

While daring to move away from the image of luxury that lacquerware has, the quality and traditional techniques of lacquerware can still be felt, making it easy for anyone to pick up and use. Blue, red, yellow. The colorful yet deep colors that somehow fit in with Japan are used in the bi-colors. The shapes and sizes are also carefully selected, including soup bowls, rice bowls, small bowls, chopsticks, trays, and festive plates. The price range is from 2,000 yen to 9,000 yen, making the products accessible to the younger generation. As a long-established company that has focused on lacquering, we were able to create a variety of colors. The atmosphere of being able to use them as interior decorations may have appealed to people with a high level of sensitivity.

Although it takes a large number to develop a brand nationwide, the fact that Ururindo originally had a system in place for medium-volume production led to a winning formula. The company was able to achieve mass production while maintaining high quality. The new lacquerware caught the attention of many people, and the company was invited to participate in exhibitions in Germany, Taiwan, and other foreign countries. In 2012, Mr. Uchida became the youngest person in Fukui Prefecture to be certified as a traditional craftsman at the age of 35.

Dishwasher-safe and easy to clean [RIN&CO.

What further surprised the industry was Mr. Uchida’s announcement in 2020 of “RIN&CO.,” a line of lacquerware that is dishwasher-safe. Lacquer is the world’s finest natural paint. It is said that lacquer becomes hardest 100 years after it is applied. I thought that today’s lacquerware does not bring out its full potential. Usually, the lacquer solution purchased from wholesalers is mixed with chemicals to make it easier to apply. Mr. Uchida researched the blending and processing of lacquer solution in cooperation with Fukui Prefecture and the University of Fukui, and developed “Echizen kata urushi,” a hard coating film that can withstand dishwashing machines. The company also reviewed the wooden base and improved it to make it sturdier and more resistant to cracks and distortion by applying the technique used for commercial lacquerware, in which resin is soaked into wood powder and molded into the surface.

Using the colors we see in our daily lives as vessels

Again, the coloring of the vessels was a particular concern. Hundreds of color patterns were created based on the weather and climate of Hokuriku, and Mr. Manabu Mizuno, known for his “Kumamon” design, was asked to supervise the project. The color is almost gray-blue, which represents the winter sky of Fukui. Navy gray, reminiscent of the rough waves of the Sea of Japan. The light red gradation that colors the horizon at dusk. My father was very opposed to the idea. Cooking experts were very critical of the cold colors, saying that they would decrease one’s appetite,” says Uchida. But when I opened the lid, it was very well received,” says Uchida. The coloring makes you want to place them not only for meals but also in your daily life, and the scenery of the dishes tells us that people’s lives are seasonal. Lacquerware has excellent heat retention properties, so if you serve rice on it, it will not easily get cold and you can enjoy the freshly cooked hotness of the rice.

The “Hakeme technique,” in which the brush marks are left on the surface of the rice, was adopted as a unique coating technique. This technique requires a high level of skill because the paint cannot be repainted, but it creates a pattern that is unique in the world. Scratches are not noticeable. Only the black vessels use the “Shin-nuri-technique,” which leaves no brushstrokes, for a luxurious finish. The matte texture of each piece has been achieved by eliminating the luster. Modern houses are brightly lit, with lighting reaching every corner. If you use glossy dishes, they would look too shiny. The slightly smaller size is calculated to make people want to buy the vessels with the impulse of “kawaii” (cute).

To create a corporate environment where young people want to work.

From a cozy family-run business, Ururindo has increased its staff while expanding production year by year, and now has 12 employees. The reason why there are so many young people is because of the company’s desire to nurture young people who will remain in the production area. Rimindo says, “We actively accept not only art college graduates and those who have studied crafts, but also staff who want to become artisans from the ground up. When the ages of the makers and users are close, I think we can better understand what is needed to make traditional lacquerware resonate with young people,” he says.

In 2021, the company also launched a new line of lacquerware with an updated traditional form that is dishwasher-safe. 100% natural lacquerware can be expected to have antibacterial properties and can be repaired by kintsugi, a process that involves metal splicing. The luxurious, traditional lacquerware is also in high demand as gifts. Lacquer trees grow wild in many Asian countries, but in none of them is lacquerware an industry at all. With crafts in decline worldwide, Ururindo has opened a new avenue of activity for traditional crafts. Naturally, many similar products are being made, but Mr. Uchida is confident that this is proof of the success of his own brand. He says, “I would rather be the imitator than the imitated. Together with the next generation of craftspeople, Uchida will continue to rewrite the history of lacquerware by discovering needs that meet new values.

The dishwasher-safe lacquerware born from customer feedback is made of Echizen hard lacquer, a 100% natural lacquer coating developed through an industry-academia-government collaboration with Fukui Prefecture and the University of Fukui. We hope you will become familiar with this lacquerware for daily use.

The post Rewriting the history of lacquerware with colors and practicality suited to modern life. Toru Uchida, the 8th generation of the lacquer shop “Ururindo” / Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture first appeared on NIHONMONO.