featuring: gato mikio
Award winning woodwork & lacquerware
Gato Mikio is a four-generation, family-owned woodwork and lacquerware company in Yamanaka, Ishikawa Prefecture of Japan. Ishikawa prefecture has a 450-year long history of lacquerware product and has an ideal environment for its production.
Gato Mikio was originally a woodworking plant with its founder being a highly-skilled wood turner. The second generation of the Gato family started to develop lacquer skills and add it to their shop, and by the time the third generation took over they focused on designing and planning lacquerware on top of their already high-quality, fine-grain wood.
Unlike a lot of mass-produced products out there, Gato Makio still works according to the traditional ways in order to preserve the artwork, craftsmanship, and Japanese local culture.
KOTO
Their crafts are not only authentic but also contemporary, suitable either in Japanese or Western households, as it can be used for many delicate food items such as tea, coffee, herbs, or spices. The lacquer is beautifully applied in a way that is not too thick, so you still fully enjoy the finely carved designs that characterize the Yamanaka lacquer style. All steps, from the wood chosen to the technique used to process and the lacquer finish, are carefully thought out in order to make smooth and practical pieces. These hand-crafted pieces are not just a pleasure for the eye, but equally important to protect against outside temperatures and humidity, making it a long-lasting item.
Working according to traditional techniques, Gato Mikio has a unique advantage of authenticity, craftsmanship, and the combination of traditional methods and modern designs. Now that Masayuki Gato, the fourth generation, has taken over, he has decided to focus more on unique designs, which he does in collaboration with other artists and designers in order to create the best possible products. Especially with their tea container designs, they have gained much praise and awards, not just in Japan, but especially overseas. Combining modern designs with Yamanaka traditional skills that only a handful of craftsmen in the area still process, Gato Mikio is able to deliver truly amazing artworks.
Morihata
The crafting techniques involving the use of a potter’s wheel, allow for extremely fine and detailed patterns in the surface of the wood. This does not only make these crafts delicate, but also elegant and one of a kind. This pattern, aligning very precise lines on the outside of the container, is called ‘Sensuji’, and is the original style of Yamanaka lacquerware.
These items are practical for everyday use, but so beautiful at the same time that they can be enjoyed as an art piece on its own to be displayed in your home.
