Hakuichi

Founded in 1975, Hakuichi is a pioneer in the gold leaf industry, having designed and developed its own brand of craft products and carved out a direct sales channel, unlike the gold leaf manufacturing industry in Kanazawa, which until then had focused on products for Buddhist altars.

Hakuichi is the only comprehensive gold leaf company in Japan that handles everything from the production of gold leaf to the sale of gold leaf crafts.

About Hakuichi

Hakuichi's history began when the founder, Kuniko Asano, a Kyoto woman, married into the family of a metal leaf manufacturer in Kanazawa and set up a craft manufacturing business to promote the beauty of Kanazawa gold leaf. Today, "Kanazawa gold leaf craft" is widely known as a traditional craft representing Ishikawa Prefecture. However, even though more than 98% of Japan's gold leaf was produced in Kanazawa, at the time of its founding in 1975, it was only used as a material for high-end crafts and Buddhist altars in other regions, and was not a craft representing the name of Kanazawa. 

Originally, ornaments and crafts using gold leaf were made with the utmost luxury and splendor as a symbol of power and ostentation throughout the long history of Kanazawa. However, in order to convey the beauty of Kanazawa gold leaf to a wider audience, Hakuichi started out with products for daily use rather than luxury items. "Kanazawa gold leaf craft" was known only for traditional items such as plates, Jubako bento boxes, and tea saucers, but Hakuichi expanded collaboration projects with different industries to dispel its old-fashioned image. Hakuichi's challenge of expanding the world of Kanazawa Gold Leaf from Kanazawa to overseas will continue to attract people.