Lacquerware in the Kiso Valley

Japanese lacquerware, or shikki, is one of the country’s most iconic types of tableware, and holds much of its history in Kiso-Hirasawa, one of the post towns of Kiso Valley found along the Nakasendo. While lacquerware is most commonly seen in its smooth black and red form holding miso soup or a rice dish, Kiso shikki is in no way limited to this typical style. With a huge array of colours and designs available from small bowls to bento lunch boxes and even furniture, Kiso-Hirasawa has garnered itself a reputation as one of Japan’s go-to places to pick up unique and meticulously crafted lacquerware. With around 600 years of history and some 700 craftsmen working in the area, there’s no better spot to while away an afternoon admiring the handywork.

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Chikiriya

One lacquerware shop not to miss on a trip to Kiso-Hirasawa is Chikiriya, a large shop that is hard to miss along the main street. Started as a family business over 200 years ago, Chikiriya has kept its charm while remaining in family hands, now run by the seventh generation. The spacious rooms are home to a wide range of shiny dishes and mountains of plates, as well as irresistible wooden bento boxes and some delicate glass items.

Travel Guide

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Hyakushiki

In the heart of Kiso-Hirasawa, Hyakushiki, which translates as 100 colours, offers a contemporary spin on traditional lacquerware. The shop’s speciality is Urushi glassware, a transparent form of lacquer developed by Hyakushiki’s founder, Yasuto Kosaka, in Kiso-Hirasawa in the 1990s. The modern pieces found at Hyakushiki offer sophisticated but playful designs with colourful decoration and are said to be more durable with much of the easy-to-scratch lacquer painted onto the outside of the tableware.

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Hirasawa Michi no Eki

While a michi no eki, or roadside station, may not be the first place to cross your mind as a haven for unique crafts, the Hirasawa Michi no Eki offers such a huge range of lacquerware that it rivals the specialist shops in the centre of town. As home to the largest collection of Kiso shikki in Kiso-Hirasawa displayed across an impressive open space two-storey interior and complete with an art gallery, this is a good place to get a feel for the town and pick up some lacquerware goods if you’re just passing through.

Hirasawa Michi no Eki

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Hananoya

While Kiso-Hirasawa has the largest concentration of lacquerware shops of the towns in the Kiso Valley, lacquerware and other crafts are ubiquitous throughout the valley with chances to pick some up at the other post towns along the way. For something a little different, head to Hananoya in Narai which specialises not only in lacquerware but also in wooden magemono, a craft that has a history of over 400 years. The carefully molded wooden pieces include bowls, cups, bento boxes, and whole dinner sets.

Nakasendo