Keep it long, treasure it long.

Beautiful Yamanaka Shikki

Japanese lacquerware is called Shikki, which uses "urushi" for the coating. Urushi is the sap of the urushi tree. By coating urushi, items gain durability and shine. Those Shikkis have been adored for ages in Japan.

GATOMIKIO's MATEVARI URUSHI BOWL is a round urushi bowl that fits your hand. There are three different trees for the material, that is, cherry, maple, and oak. Each of them has distinctive grains. Hope you enjoy the differences and characters that natural trees have. We recommend the bowls for wedding gifts as well.

GATOMIKIO was founded in 1908 in Yamanaka city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The area is well known for the long-lasting industry of Shikki, especially called Yamanaka Shikki.

The distinctive character of Yamanaka Shikki is using potter's wheels for molding. By doing so, the products have fine shape and display beautiful grains that the source of trees initially have. Thanks to the high technique, Yamanaka Shikki is sometimes made so thin and lightweight.

After molding, Yamanaka Shikki would be covered by urushi and decorated by Maki-e, being sprinkled with gold or silver powder. The products have become famous for their beauty. It is also interesting to know that since there are many hot springs around Yamanaka city, Yamanaka Shikki is often chosen as a local gift.