Masui Sai Honkanshitsu
About Company
The Luster of Wajima, Made to Wear.
Color and Craft in Every Lacquered Bead.
Based in Wajima, Ishikawa, Masui Sai Honkanshitsu creates urushi lacquer jewelry and Buddhist prayer beads. Drawing on roiro, the polishing technique that gives Wajima lacquerware its distinctive luster, the workshop brings rich color and a luminous finish to each small bead.
A Luster Brought Out by Hand
Roiro is a finishing technique in which a lacquered surface is carefully abraded and polished to bring out its luster. Masui Sai Honkanshitsu applies urushi to wooden beads and shell beads of the kind used as nuclei in cultured pearls, then polishes them with the palms and fingertips.
Techniques passed down through generations of lacquerware making find a new place in everyday dress. Alongside traditional reds and blacks, the workshop explores softer colors and metallic accents, expanding the possibilities of wearable lacquer.
The Many Expressions of Urushi
Nuance Gold
These earrings owe their soft, muted palette to jinoko, a diatomaceous earth powder traditionally used in Wajima lacquerware undercoats. A subtle shimmer complements the luster of the lacquer.
MY PLANET
Colored lacquer and shimmering mineral accents create a sense of depth. A single bead forms the focal point of each necklace, adding a touch of color to an outfit.
HAKU
Layers of lacquer and gold leaf transform wooden beads into necklaces and earrings. The collection pairs black or white lacquer with the warm gleam of gold.
Images: Nuance Gold — Ishikawa Design Center; MY PLANET and HAKU — Masui Sai Honkanshitsu official website.
Meet the Maker: Katsumune Masui
Image: Ishikawa Design Center.
An Inherited Craft, an Evolving Practice
Born in Wajima in 1958, Katsumune Masui began learning roiro from his father in 1982. In 1985, he completed the lacquer application course at the Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Institute of Lacquer Arts.
Today, he runs the workshop with his wife, making lacquer jewelry and prayer beads. Combining the skills inherited from his father with his own experience, he creates pieces that bring urushi into everyday life.
New Expressions Through Collaboration
For ZUTTO, the workshop developed an exclusive version of its Nuance Gold earrings with hook fittings. Its collaboration with BEAMS JAPAN includes jewelry in an exclusive color. These retailer partnerships bring fresh colors and forms to the workshop’s lacquer craft.
Features & Interviews
From Roiro Craft to Everyday Jewelry
In this English-language interview, retailer ZUTTO speaks with the couple behind the workshop about their move into lacquer jewelry, their choice of shell beads, and the development of the Nuance series. The feature also introduces the earrings created exclusively for ZUTTO.
Read the interview →Returning to Work in Wajima and Reaching New Customers
A report from ISICO magazine, vol. 136, follows the workshop’s return to production after the Noto Peninsula earthquake. It explores product development and efforts to reach new customers through trade shows.
Read the article (Japanese) →Workshop Information
| Name | Masui Sai Honkanshitsu |
|---|---|
| Owner | Katsumune Masui |
| Address | Building D, Room 7, 4-89 Marine Town, Wajima, Ishikawa 928-0008, Japan |
| Workshop | Wajima Kobo Nagaya, Nigiwai Kobo, North A-2 4-66-1 Kawai-machi, Wajima, Ishikawa 928-0001, Japan |
| Activities | Roiro finishing for Wajima lacquerware; production and sale of lacquer jewelry and prayer beads |
| Collections | Nuance Gold, Nuance Color, MY PLANET, HAKU, Urushi no Ai |
| Website & Social Media |
