DISCOVER FUKUI

Highlights

The Kawada district of Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, is the production center for Echizen lacquerware, a tradition spanning over 1,500 years. It is said that Echizen lacquerware, produced here, accounts for over 80% of Japan's commercial lacquerware. Echizen lacquerware employs a division of labor system, with distinct artisans for each task: woodworkers who craft the wooden base (kiji-shi), lacquerers who apply the lacquer (nuri-shi), and maki-e artists who create the decorative designs (maki-e-shi).

 

In this experience, we visit "Hacoa," which utilizes woodworking techniques to create wooden goods, and "Shikirindo," a venerable lacquerware workshop with over 200 years of history, offering you a glimpse into the worlds of woodworking and lacquer application in Echizen lacquerware.

Hacoa is a wooden goods brand born from a company that crafts the wooden bases for Echizen lacquerware. Hacoa captivates many with its reliable inherited techniques and numerous highly designed products that make the most of the wood material. Next to the factory we visited is their flagship store, where you can see various Hacoa-exclusive wooden goods, including wooden keyboards showcasing the craftsmen's skill.

Shitsurindo, founded in 1793 (Kansei 5), is a long-established lacquerware company with generations of lacquer craftsmanship. Upholding traditional techniques, they use absolutely no chemical paints, carefully applying lacquer by hand with brushes, piece by piece. As a manufacturer in the Echizen lacquerware region with a 1,500-year history, they pass down the lacquer craftsmanship inherited from their predecessors to the next generation, while promoting the culture of lacquer and bowls.

Experience Details

After gathering at Hacoa, we first tour the woodworking factory. Listening to the craftsmen's explanations, you can observe their hands-on work in action. Watching wooden blocks, not yet finished products, take shape one by one under the craftsmen's hands is truly captivating.

After seeing the artisans at work, you'll then finish polishing a wooden spoon with your own hands. The subtle differences in shape and texture that emerge depending on how you polish it are part of the charm of handmade items. This is one of the points where you can feel the fun of making things.

Once your spoon takes shape, take a short break. You can enjoy shopping at the factory's own store located right next to the workshop. After seeing the craftsmen at work and experiencing the polishing process yourself, you might view the products with a different perspective than before your experience.

After finishing your experience at Hacoa, collect your spoon and walk the 5 minutes to Shikirindo.

At Shikirindo, you'll first hear about Echizen lacquerware and the history of Shikirindo itself. Afterwards, you'll tour the lacquering workshop. In this normally off-limits space, you'll see lacquer and the artisans' tools firsthand while learning about the profound depth of Echizen lacquerware.

 

After the workshop tour, you'll experience applying wipe lacquer to the spoon you polished at Hacoa earlier. We provide three lacquer colors: raw lacquer, black, and red, so you can choose your favorite. The color of the lacquer changes between when you apply it and when it's finished. Experiencing this transformation is unique to this hands-on wipe lacquer application.

Since lacquer takes time to dry, we'll let yours dry for several days. After that, our artisans will apply the final finish coat, and we'll ship your piece to your home at a later date. After your experience, you can also visit the attached shop to purchase Rikindo lacquerware as souvenirs. Be sure to take a look!

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