Yoshita Kasho founded Yoshita Inc. in 1986, a lacquerware painting company passed on from Kasho's father. Today, Yoshita Kasho is the name of the chairman and the brand itself, run with his son Toshiaki Yoshita. Traditionally renowned for their reputation in making Chado utensils, the company is currently expanding its product lines towards modern tableware, while retaining traditional lacquerware techniques.

The Unprecedented Combination of Lacquerware and Glassware

Yoshita Kasho's most definitive design and innovation is the painting of lacquer on glassware. The paintings are done on the outside of the glass, so one can enjoy the paintings from the inside of the glass, without worry of damaging them. The outer layer is then coated with black lacquer or gold and silver leaves, which protects the paintings, and makes them visible only from the inside.

The Fantastic Beauty of Golden Glass

The glassware made in Yoshita Kasho are covered with transparent lacquer which creates a unique shining and reflecting layer on the glass. Yoshita Kasho invented a design by which gold leaf on the bottom of the glass reflects on the luminous lacquer, creating a fantastic illusion of a brilliant golden shine from the whole glass cup.

Extremely Delicate Hand-painted Designs

The craftspersons working at Yoshita Kasho possess the highest skill in the region when it comes to lacquerware painting. These craftspersons can delicately and carefully hand paint pictures of goldfish and "Koi" fish (carp) on small glass cups, with a finish of fine gold leaf.

"Ginnashiji" or silver powder coating is a method of adding silver powder and transparent lacquer on top of a finished black lacquerware, to provide an extra layer of protective coating. Originally devised to protect matcha bowls from scratches due to brushing, this method also allows heat retention as the silver powdered layer reflects heat and light, keeping the cup or bowl warm.

With the paintings and decorations being drawn on the exterior of the glass, there's no need to worry about damage. As a result, one enjoys beautiful paintings on gold leaves from the inside of the glass. The outside is then coated by black lacquer and wood powder. The wood powder serves as insulation when drinking hot tea, as well as giving a grip of the bowl.

The Maki-e Glass Series is Yoshita Kasho's premier product. The golden leaves at the bottom of the glass reflect on the lacquer-coated body, creating an illusion of a golden shine throughout the glass. The bottom of the glass has delicately hand-painted designs of charming goldfish and "Koi" fish (carp), accompanying your drinking experience.

A stunning collection of handmade glass plates that blend high-quality glass with innovative craftsmanship, combining hand-painted Maki-e using natural lacquer and Kanazawa gold leaf. These plates have a gold leaf belt beneath the glass for added elegance and durability thanks to an external protective coating. They also offer a smooth, slightly wavy top surface and a grid-designed base for stability on tables.

Matcha Bowl Chawan made of heat-proof glass and coated with black lacquer and wood powder. The variations in the inner surface design include gold, silver and galaxy. The galaxy design uses dark blue lacquer and sprinkles of gold and silver powder inspired by the scenes of the night sky.