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HIROSHIGE incorporates the very best of handmade Edo-period art and reinventing them into a fresh, avant-garde aesthetic for a new generation of collectors

HIROSHIGE is a line of artisan-made collector-grade accessories that introduce time-honored artistic traditions, historical craftwork and materials at affordable price points. This new line of products is a reminder of our humble beginnings, and aspires to incorporate the very best of Edo-period art and reinvent them into a fresh, avant-garde aesthetic.

HIROSHIGE aims to disrupt all sensibilities of price-performance – to bring what was previously exclusive and loftily priced, to new benchmarks of accessibility that can be enjoyed by all. Central to this effort is an element of authenticity, and this authenticity is anchored by our acquisition of original artworks by legendary Ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858).  

utagawa hiroshige memorial portrait

Utagawa Hiroshige

Born Andō Tokutarō, Utagawa Hiroshige was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition. Hiroshige was a wholly self-taught and fiercely independent artist who was known to be very poetic with his art, creating beautiful scenes of idealized nature whilst maintaining strong realism throughout his romantic work. His ukiyo-e crafts revealed a somewhat tangible yet intimate beauty - a human touch that no artists of his era managed to achieve. It popularized Japonisme - and his exotic, decorative works influenced old masters such as Van Gogh, Cézanne, Whistler and Monet.

HIROSHIGE Traditional Japanese Craftsmanship
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Koshu Inden

Koshu Inden is a traditional craft of Yamanashi Prefecture, in which patterns are applied to deer leather with Urushi lacquer. Inden was originally created as a material for samurai armor. However, as the era of battles came to an end and there were not many orders for armor, so in the Edo period, they decided to do something else with this technique and began to make bags like this.

watch box maki-e

蒔絵 Maki-e

It is a form of Japanese lacquer painting where the design is sprinkled with gold or silver powder and has, for the longest time, been held in high recognition and renowned for its exquisite beauty and artistry.

watch strap colouring

Tamenuri Urushi

Urushi cures naturally through a process of oxidation and polymerization into a material with remarkable properties for a natural substance. Tamenuri is an ancient Japanese urushi application technique dating back to the Jomon Period (14,000 to 300 B.C.), and slowly perfected over time from craftsman to craftsman.