Established in Kyoto in 1838, Seikado is a workshop passed down from father to son, dedicated to the craftsmanship and production of pewter and silver objects. The workshop initially focused on the fabrication of religious artifacts for shrines and temples. Seikado made various utensils and decorative objects, receiving the greatest honour of Kyoto Imperial Palace’s orders. The biggest attraction of Seikado is its beautiful tinware. Tin’s softness as a metal allows Seikado’s objects to change color and age beautifully
The uniqueness of their work is attributed to this “transformation” through use over time. Seikado works mainly with tin in addition to silver and copper, and their handcrafted creations feature a wide variety of objects ranging from everyday utensils, tea ceremony accessories, to objets d’art.
At the initiative of Genbei Yamanaka, who represents the seventh generation of Seikado, a gallery was opened in 2012 which regularly exhibits original works of contemporary metal craftspeople.