Yamanaka Shikki Lacquerware—by Sachi Uchimaru
July 30, 2026
Over the summer of 2025 Josh and I spent three weeks traveling across Japan, exploring regions known for traditional crafts and meeting the shokunin who keep these traditions alive. While shokunin is often translated as “artisan” or “craftsperson,” the word carries a much deeper meaning. It reflects a lifelong dedication to mastering one’s craft, guided by a philosophy of continuous learning and humility.
Sachi and Josh, Summer 2025
One of the regions we visited is Kaga, located in Ishikawa Prefecture. Kaga and its nearby areas are collectively referred to as the Yamanaka region, and home to an incredible concentration of shokunin and onsen (natural hot springs). While most visitors to Japan stick to an itinerary on the Pacific Ocean side (Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are indeed hard places to pass up), the 3 prefectures that make up the Hokuriku region facing the Sea of Japan (Fukui, Ishikawa, and Toyama) are, in my opinion, some of the best places to visit in the country. Japanese people are unanimous that the best seafood is from here–just to give you one more reason to visit.
Hokuriku Region
Besides the seafood and hot springs, Yamanaka is renowned for their wooden lacquerware referred to as Yamanaka Shikki. Designated by the Japanese government as an official dento-kogei (a traditional craft), Yamanaka Shikki carry a 400 year history and merges 2 traditional crafts into one: wood carving using a lathe (a rotating device where the wood rotates while the carving blade holds steady), and lacquering.
Yamanaka Shikki Urushi Bowls from Kanoryu
Yamanaka Shikki products are often bowls or cups, referred to as wanmono, and are made to feature the beauty of the wood grain.
Shozu Shikko 2nd Generation Shokunin Kubode Shoji-Sama
History: Yamanaka Shikki traces its roots more than 450 years ago from the late 1500s, when a group of wood craftspeople from nearby Echizen relocated to the high mountains above Kaga during the height of the Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Period). Forced out of their homeland due to uprisings, these craftspeople brought their expertise in using lathes to Kaga and were drawn to the rich resources in the nearby forests. As the town of Kaga began to flourish for its hot springs, so did Yamanaka Shikki as tourists began to buy them when they visited the area.
Picture Credit: Yamanaka Shikki Association
The Kaga area geographically lies in the middle of the road between Kyoto and Kanazawa–a city long considered the “second Kyoto” of Japan.
As many people traveled back and forth between these two cities, people needed omiyage (souvenirs) to bring back home to their friends, family, and bosses at work. If anyone is friends with a Japanese person you know that this is a custom that is taken very seriously, when you travel somewhere you must bring something back to share from your time away. (Side note: the myriad of Kit-Kat flavors were initially developed to satisfy this demand amongst Japanese people with each prefecture having its own unique flavor, and now have become a must buy item for international travelers to bring back from Japan).
Fortuitously, Kyoto and Kanazawa are each famous for having lacquering as one of their traditional crafts. It was only natural then that the know-how of lacquering was brought over to Kaga, and the wooden hand-carved products began to be lacquered with expert skill.
Kano Founder and his Family
Shozu Shikko Founder Kubode Masao
Current Generation Owner Kano Shota-sama and his Family
Current Generation Kubode Family for Shozu Shikko
2/3 of Japan is still covered by forests, and the 2nd generation Shozu Shikko Kubode Shoji-sama says the following: “Trees are truly a blessing from our country. The beauty within each grain and knot, the color that is from nature, the warmth one feels by holding a wood product– they are all different, just like each individual person is different.”
The two families have generously shared their production process so the art of Yamanaka Shikki can be appreciated by people outside of Japan.
Selection of the Wood: Yamanaka Shikki often uses woods such as keyaki (zelkova), azusa (catalpa), tochi (Japanese horse chestnut), and sakura (mountain cherry) known for their hardness, durability and beauty of their grain.
Yamanaka Shikki utilizes a distinct type of harvesting called tategitori 縦木取り, where they cut the tree into cross sections (tree rounds) instead of into long planks. The products are then carved out of these rounds upright, with the grains being kept facing the direction they were when the tree was in the forest. While woodworking is done throughout Japan, this method is only done in the Kaga region. The tategitori method leads to greater durability and lower probability of warping, and is why Yamanaka Shikki can be made so thin and delicate without breakage.
Tategitori on the left, Yokogitori on the right
Image credit: https://ichirin.hateblo.jp/entry/2014/05/30/231557
Tategitori process of cutting out vessels in direction of the grain facing upward—Shozu Shikko
At the same time, tategitori increases costs significantly compared to cutting the tree into long planks. The core of the tree often is not usable for making products, which limits the usable area of each round and also restricts the size of the products that can be made–which is why the majority of Yamanaka Shikki products are bowls and cups. Due to this reason companies such as Kanoryu will use a mix of wood milled in the tategitori method as well as the more conventional method of cutting into planks, to create more flexibility.
Preparation of the Wood: As wood naturally contains moisture, it must first be dried before carving. Otherwise there will be warping once the product is made, and the lacquer will also come off. The two manufacturers we work with utilize two distinct methods of drying the wood.
Kanoryu utilizes a traditional method of slow drying, where the wood is laid outside for 6 months to a year. The wood is exposed to the elements during this time, and by drying out in this slow method the wood becomes more durable with reduced likelihood of warping or cracking. In addition, slow drying preserves the natural color and glossiness of the wood.
Shozu Shikko has created a specialized steam drying room to expedite the drying out process. While normally the drying process takes 6 months or so, the use of their steam drying completes the process in two weeks. Using this technology involves much skill, as they need to adjust the temperature and moisture of the room depending on the state of the wood, the season, and the product being dried. For instance, for their soup bowls the temperature is set around 176 Fahrenheit, whereas for their more delicate wine glasses they maintain 212 Fahrenheit.
The carving is generally divided into 2 steps, sotobiki (outside carving), and uchibiki (inside carving). During sotobiki, the shokunin takes the rough carved blocks and carves it into the shape of the product, finishing by a kogatana (small knife) and sandpaper. Uchibiki is even more difficult and uses more advanced skills.
Uchibiki (Kanoryu) carving process.
Lacquering: Yamanaka Shikki products utilize a wide array of lacquering techniques, ranging from the modern to the traditional.
The beautiful cups we have from Shozu Shikko, for instance, are finished by hand-applying an innovative nano-glass coating. These are microscopic glass particles that fill the tiniest of gaps in the wood, creating a smooth surface and making the wood not only much more durable, but water proof and stain proof. This allows the cups to be able to withstand hot beverages, as well as prevent staining even with drinks like red wine. Nano-glass is also sustainable as it does not use solvents, and cures simply by being exposed to air.
Urushi Lacquering by Ishikawa-sama
On the other hand, our exclusive Bernal Cutlery wappa bento boxes are lacquered by a 79 year old urushi shokunin, Ishikawa Kenji sama. Unlike most shokunins who are taking after a family craft and therefore are taught by elders in their family, Ishikawa sama taught himself the art of urushi lacquering approximately 40 years ago. Before the days of Youtube and the internet, Ishikawa sama had to rely on trial and error for much of his learning.
Urushi is a traditional Japanese lacquer that has been used for over 9000 years, made from the resin of an urushi tree. Urushi gives a warmth that only something handmade can provide. Urushi is produced by the urushi tree as a self-defensive mechanism when the tree is suffering — therefore it has many powerful characteristics that Japanese shokunin have valued, including antibacterial and insect repelling properties, an incredible durability and hardness, and a high resistance to water, acids and heat.
Urushi (Kanoryu)
Ishikawa-sama utilizes a technique called fuki-urushi, literally translated to wiping urushi. He spins the object on a wheel while applying the wet urushi, and then wipes off the excess urushi while continuing to spin the object. Repeatedly doing this process creates a deep, beautiful hue of urushi.
He then dries the lacquered products in a specially made cabinet, that must be maintained at the right temperature and humidity. Ishikawa sama shared with us that he sprays the walls of the storage cabinet once a day to maintain the right humidity.
Drying Cabinet for Urushi Products, Sprayed Daily for Humidity—Kanoryu
These techniques have been passed down for over 400 years in the Yamanaka Region, and continue to live on thanks to families such as those of Kanoryu and Shozu Shikko. Both families embody the spirit of the shokunin, in that they are continuously looking forward and into the future and updating their craft.
The second generation shokunin of Shozu Shikko shared, “I have dedicated my life to this job for 60 years, and yet I have new discoveries everyday. I am still a student, and aim to create products that can better highlight the beauty of trees for people.”
We look forward to you being able to enjoy these products made by these two families.
See what we have in store from Yamanaka here.