Takaoka-douki is the generic name for copperware made in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture. All metalworking techniques, including prototyping, casting, finishing, coloring, and engraving, are concentrated in Takaoka City, and each process is characterized by the division of labor among skilled craftsmen.
It is difficult for such a division of labor to be established in just one town, and this is one of Takaoka City's strengths. In addition, Takaoka copperware accounts for 95% of Japan's total copperware production, and it became known worldwide when it was exhibited at the World Exposition in Paris in the Meiji era.
It is now one of the world's most famous traditional Japanese crafts. As Japan's only production center of bronze ware, Takaoka produces everything from tea sets, flower vases, incense burners, and Buddhist ritual implements to Buddhist bells and large outdoor bronze statues (bronze statues).
Familiar examples of bronze statues of Kinjiro Ninomiya and the New Year's bell at elementary schools are made from Takaoka bronzeware. In addition to copper alloys such as brass and bronze, aluminum alloys, tin, iron, gold, silver, and other materials are also used in manufacturing.
A wide variety of items are made, from large objects to delicate and detailed items. In addition, copperware is said to be a "craft that appreciates rust," and coloring and determining its expression is said to be the final process. Craftsmen use a variety of techniques to corrode the metal and bring out its vivid "colors.
Takaoka City is located in the northwestern part of Toyama Prefecture, almost in the center of Honshu facing the Sea of Japan, and was created on November 1, 2005 through the merger of the former Takaoka City and the former Fukuoka Town.
The west side of the city is a mountainous area with the Nishiyama Hills and Mt. Nijo, the northeast side is Toyama Bay, and the east side is a fan-shaped area with high-quality groundwater formed by the Shogawa River and the Oyabe River.
From Ameharu Beach, selected as one of the 100 best beaches in Japan, a panoramic view of the 3,000-meter-high Tateyama Mountain Range can be seen over the sea.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Takaoka Copperware”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.
Takaoka copperware began in 1611, when Maeda Toshinaga, the lord of the Kaga Clan, invited seven foundrymen to Kanaya-cho, Takaoka City, in order to promote the prosperity of the town.
The history of this craft is long, lasting more than 400 years, and it is still being handed down today. Initially, it started as an art craft to be presented to feudal lords. Later, it spread widely in Japan and abroad as Buddhist ritual utensils, pots and kettles, vases, tea ceremony utensils, and decorative metal fittings. Overseas, bronze art objects were introduced at the 1862 World's Fair in London and the 1867 World's Fair in Paris, and established a firm position as an export product as well.
In 1975, Takaoka copperware received the first designation as a nationally designated traditional craft, and in 1979, it was designated as a specific industrial production area.
In the beginning, iron was the main material used, but from the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867), a wide range of alloys such as copper, tin, bronze, brass, etc., and aluminum were developed, and manufacturing techniques were further improved. Along with these developments, processing techniques such as polishing, engraving, and coloring were also developed, and a variety of expressive methods were established. The company has continued to develop both manufacturing and processing techniques to the present day.
In 1975, Takaoka Copperware was designated as the first nationally designated traditional handicraft, and in 1979, it was designated as a specific industrial production area.
Please consider commemorative gifts using“Takaoka Copperware”.
We accept a variety of requests,
including letterhead sets and Japanese paper accessories,
as well as items such as the souvenir example.