MEMENTOS is a brooch series that pays homage to the traditional crafts and craftspeople of Akita Prefecture. Each MEMENTOS brooch is handmade with materials from the workshops of artisans whose techniques continue to be passed down across generations — a piece of the past, present, and future carried as an accessory.

The series draws from four of Akita's living craft traditions. Kawatsura Urushi is a Japanese lacquer tradition that originated in what is now Yuzawa, Akita, 800 years ago. Urushi itself — sap extracted from the urushi tree, refined and applied to wood in layers — has been part of Japanese craft since at least 7000 BCE. Kawatsura Urushi was first used to coat armor and weapons for local lords and retainers, and later developed into an advanced regional industry producing tableware, furniture, and decorative objects.

Akita Silver Filigree carries forward a silversmithing tradition that made Akita one of Japan's most important centers of silver production. In the early 1600s, skilled gold and silversmiths arrived from the Ibaraki area, and the craft flourished alongside swordsmithing. After the samurai era, ornate accessories such as hairpins continued the tradition. Today, Akita Silver Filigree is a prefecturally-designated traditional craft.

Cherry barkware (kabazaiku) developed in the samurai town of Kakunodate in the late 1700s, originally as a second income for low-ranking samurai. This craft uses bark carefully harvested from cherry trees (in a way that allows regrowth) to fashion insulated containers, trays, and decorative objects. The tradition continues in Kakunodate today. Finally, Shiraiwa-yaki is a pottery tradition from Shiraiwa, Akita, dating to the 1700s — distinguished by its deep namako glaze and revived by the Watanabe family after seven decades of dormancy.