Introducing our Craftsmen

Tsutomu Taya

Master the craftsmen and the former representative and owner of Taya Shikkiten.
Master Taya has an extensive 60 years of hands-on experience managing the entire lacquerware production process, and he has been training his staff for over 50 years. At the age of 78, he plays a key role as a professional lacquerware craftsman. He values faithfulness, and on top of that adds his original creativity to his craftmaking. Master Taya believes the charm of lacquerware lies in it's all natural, all handmade, and it's environmentally friendly state that can return to soil.

Teruo Fukuhira

33 years of experience as a craftsman. It's hard to imagine from a his job, but he has many hobbies including sports watching, driving, and Japanese chess. Despite the fact that he lives in the City of Wajima which is well known for seafood, he does not fancy eating salted squid and raw oyster jelly. His favourite dish is beef cooked in red wine.
He describes his role of coating as absolutely nerve racking as it requires absolute accuracy and infinite detail. However, he doesn't forget his humour. He believes lacquerware coating is similar to the effort needed to maintain a woman's beautiful skin. To him, the beauty of lacquerware is beyond description.

Toshiaki Hiko

Age 55, 33 years of experience as a craftsman. Wajima City is beautiful for its nature including the beaches and mountains.
In his role as a craftsman, he is responsible for the base coating and middle coating, and is the unsung hero out of the entire crew. He always respects the deadline and completes his work with enough lead time. He believes that the beauty of wajimanuri is it's ample use of lacquer, and it's long lasting natural strength.

Mitsuo Uwamaki

Youngest out of the crew yet, with 33 years of experience.
He loves sports and loves eating all kinds of meat. He is responsible for the base coat, and creates the foundation of the wajimanuri. His motto for work is to promptly finish beautifully. Wajimanuri is special to him because it has a special "wooden warmth" that can not be experienced with metal and ceramic materials. In addition, it is an item that can be used among all ages.

Satomi Hira

She is the one and only lady craftswoman who's age and years of experience remains a secret.
She loves the nature, local delicacies, and the warm people of Wajima City. Her role in the wajimanuri process is sharpening and scraping of lacquer. She believes that although the scraping process is unglamorous work, it is a key role that distinguishes the quality of the final product. In her job, she is extremely detail oriented and puts every effort into creating the best quality lacquerware products on a daily basis. She loves wajimanuri because it is practical to use, aesthetically pleasing, and simply beautiful.