Learn about the world of woodworking and lacquerware through making your own original spoon

Kawada in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture boasts a 1,500 year traditional of Echizen lacquerware. Over 80% of all lacquerware for business use in Japan is produced in this area. Echizen Lacquerware is a shared labor: the wood is created by a carpenter, the lacquer is applied by a lacquer expert, the maki-e is added by a maki-e artist, and each of those is a different artisan. The Hacoa woodworking shop offers a carpentry experience, after which we’ll visit the historical Shitsurindo lacquerware workshop, giving us a good look at the woodworking and lacquering processes for Echizen lacquerware. Hacoa began life as a company making wood for Echizen lacquerware. Hacoa's quality techniques and premium designs create a range of products that make the wood shine that are loved by people everywhere. The workshop we’re visiting has its own store next door where you can purchase any number of brilliant Hacoa products, including an impressive wooden keyboard. Shitsurindo was established in 1793 and has passed the traditional art of lacquering from one generation to the next. The workshop staunchly refuses to use any chemical lacquers and lacquers each item stroke by stroke in the traditional way. As a producer in the historic Echizen Lacquerware district, they have an unshakeable faith in the 1,500 years of history inherited from their ancestors for the next generation.