Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture—known as“Yamanaka, renowned for its woodturning and wooden bases”for its master woodturners. Here, Asada Shikki Kogei has been dedicated to the craft of lacquerware for nearly a century since its founding.
“Our traditional Yamanaka lacquerware is beautiful, but it feels a little distant from modern life. I want to create pieces that bridge that gap and fit seamlessly into today’s lifestyle,” says current president and fourth-generation successor, Akihiko Asada. While honoring tradition, he continues to propose vessels that enrich daily living. In Yamanaka, where lacquerware is typically produced through a division of labor—woodturning, base-coating, lacquering, decoration—Asada emphasizes collaboration with skilled artisans, while also taking on some lacquering and decorative processes in-house, always seeking new forms that reflect the times.

The in-house brandasadaembodies the fusion of Yamanaka’s techniques with a modern sensibility. Everyday bowls, plates, and soup cups are designed to suit both Japanese and Western dining, highlighting lacquerware’s lightness and smooth feel.
One of its most distinctive series employs a unique decorative method calledMurakumo-nuri(“floating clouds finish”). Using the flame of a traditional Japanese candle, subtle shadows are created on the lacquer’s surface, forming abstract cloud-like patterns—no two pieces are ever the same.“The angle of the flame, its distance, even the thickness of the wick changes the pattern completely. Because it’s always different, it’s fun,” says veteran craftsman Kazuto Shimizu, who has long overseen the lacquering. Sometimes the patterns evoke landscapes reminiscent of ink paintings. “Even if I tried, I could never make the exact same thing twice.” This element of chance is precisely what makes Murakumo-nuri so captivating.

Yamanaka lacquerware is known for its precise woodturning and durable, smooth coatings. While carrying forward these skills, Asada Shikki Kogei also produces pieces finished with urethane, lowering the barriers of price and care so more people can “first try lacquerware.”

“Tradition isn’t something to preserve in a showcase—it’s something to bring alive. If lacquerware becomes too special, it disappears from daily use. That’s why it’s our role today to make it approachable and easy to enjoy.”Thoughasada’s designs appear simple at first glance, holding them reveals the warmth of wood and the depth of lacquer. And with aMurakumo-nuripiece, you’ll find yourself absorbed in its flame-drawn abstract landscapes, like gazing at a painting that exists only once.

In a world where many traditional crafts face a shortage of successors, Asada Shikki Kogei’s work serves as a bridge toward the next hundred years. Moving fluidly between local roots and outside collaborations, the company actively engages with creators and businesses across different fields.“It’s precisely because we have tradition that we can innovate,” says Asada. For him, making vessels is both theinheritance of cultureand thecreation of everyday life.The wavering patterns ofMurakumo-nuri, the luster of lacquer, the texture of wood—within these quiet vessels lie the spirit of Yamanaka’s landscape and the unfolding story of Asada Shikki Kogei’s future.