Taya Shikkiten
About Company
Wajima Lacquerware for Everyday Life.
Craft to Cherish and Carry Forward.
Based in Wajima, Ishikawa, Taya Shikkiten creates, sells, and restores Wajima lacquerware. From tableware for everyday use to products developed with business partners, it brings artisans and customers together to explore new possibilities for the craft.
Connecting Artisans and Customers
Wajima lacquerware is made through a sequence of specialist skills, from shaping the wooden core and preparing the foundation layers to applying lacquer and decoration. Taya Shikkiten works as a nushiya: a producer that coordinates these artisans and guides each piece from a customer’s brief to the finished product.
Its work extends from tableware and gifts to lacquerware repairs, restoration projects for temples, shrines, and traditional festivals, and product development with companies in other fields.
Honoring Traditional Techniques, Shaping the Future of Wajima Lacquerware
Led by Takahiro Taya, the business is developing corporate and overseas markets while building partnerships with younger artisans and independent makers. Its approach combines respect for inherited skills with a willingness to find new applications for them.
Adapted from the representative’s message on the official website.
Tableware for Everyday Moments and Special Occasions
Tenohira
A Wajima lacquer bowl that invites everyday use, with a shape that sits comfortably in the hands and a finish that reveals the character of urushi lacquer.
Shunkashuto
Seasonal plants and birds decorate this lacquer and silver cup in maki-e, a technique using metallic powder. The silver interior contrasts with the rich black lacquer outside.
Nihon Mukashibanashi
A two-tier serving box with interchangeable lids for different seasons. Scenes from nature and Japanese folktales are rendered in togidashi maki-e, in which the design is revealed by polishing back the overlying lacquer.
Bespoke Creations and Lasting Care
For business clients, Taya Shikkiten offers custom manufacturing and design services, including OEM and ODM projects for corporate gifts, promotional items, and branded collections. Each project begins with its intended use and creative direction, followed by discussions of form and decoration.
Its repair service welcomes wooden lacquerware from Wajima and other regions. After assessing scratches, flaking, or a dulled finish, the team recommends local repairs or refinishing as appropriate. The aim is to help each piece remain part of its owner’s life, with treatment suited to its condition and the owner’s wishes.
A Place to Discover the Future of Wajima Craft
Following the damage caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake, Taya Shikkiten continues to rebuild its workshops and operations. At WAJIMANURI VILLAGE, workshops and galleries housed in converted trailers offer visitors a closer connection to the making of Wajima lacquerware.
The initiative introduces visitors to the place, people, and skills behind each piece. By creating opportunities for makers and visitors to meet, it seeks to support the future of the local craft community.
“One Year After the Earthquake” — a film featured on Taya Shikkiten’s official website.
Media Features
Carrying Craft Forward: Wajima Lacquerware After the Earthquake
An interview with Takahiro Taya exploring the role of the nushiya, lacquerware repair, and the rebuilding of Wajima’s craft community.
Read the article (Japanese) →The Story Behind Taya Shikkiten’s Pearl-Blue Lacquerware
A look at product development and new possibilities for Wajima lacquerware through a collaboration featuring shades of blue inspired by ANA.
Read the article (Japanese) →Business Information
| Business Name | Taya Shikkiten |
|---|---|
| Representative | Takahiro Taya |
| Location | 55-6 Ezoana, Sugihira-machi, Wajima, Ishikawa 928-0011, Japan |
| Services | Wajima lacquerware production and sales; lacquerware repair; bespoke commissions; OEM and ODM services |
| Website & Social Media |
