Denshiro Tea Caddies arrived!

Last year we had the opportunity to attend a craft studio tour in Semboku city, Akita Prefecture. One of our destinations was Denshiro (藤木伝四郎商店), a store established in the Edo period that is renowned for their cherry barkware.

After being blown away by their designs, we couldn’t wait to actually get our hands on some of their beautiful pieces. The other day, we finally managed to place an order and with little delay, the first batch of Denshiro‘s cherry barkware arrived!

The above photo is their famous and best-selling tea caddy (茶筒) while the photo below shows their small rectangular box. Both are made from natural cherry bark. Denchiro’s cherrybark craft is unique to Kakunodate, a former castel town and samurai stronghold found in the midsts of the abundant mountains and forests of Akita Prefecture’s city of Semboku. While the castle has unfortunately been destroyed, it is still home to some of the oldest samurai architectures in all of Japan. Because of this, it is often referred to as the “Little Kyoto of Tohoku”. Other than its rich history, Kakunodate is most popular for its abundance of cherry blossoms. This not only enable places like Denchiro to pursue their craft, but also attracts flows of visitors during the springtime for “ohanami” (お花見) or in English, cherry blossom viewing.

We look forward to delivering these products to you soon!