We were honoured to host master craftsman Taka from the legendary Japanese manufacturer Kaikado.
Kaikado was established in 1875, shortly after Japan opened its doors to the rest of the world. With welcoming outside civilizations came the import of tinplate from England. Tin was used for the plating of steel, and was considered a fashionable foreign-made item at that time.
In the Edo era, canisters made from tin became commonplace means of storage for tea, as were jars made from china or earthenware. It was the company’s founder, Kiyosuke, who first designed the tin tea caddy and made it into a commercially available item, the very same caddies that they still make today.
The following day after Taka’s talk, he held a workshop with a lucky few in the craft of fabricating one of their small plates.
Arigato Taka-san!