What Nosaku Lacquer Ware is known for

Founded in 1780 in Kanazawa's Musashigatsutsuji district, Nosaku has sold Kaga maki-e lacquerware alongside Wajima and Yamanaka lacquer pieces across eight generations. It also runs hands-on maki-e gold-inlay workshops for visitors at its Kanazawa shops.

Nosaku dates its founding to 1780, when Notoya Sakutaro opened a lacquerware shop in Kanazawa's Musashigatsutsuji district. Eight generations later the family business still operates under a stated motto, 'the shop exists for customers,' and continues to sell lacquerware out of Kanazawa rather than having relocated or franchised out the family name.

The shop's range covers three related but distinct Ishikawa Prefecture lacquer traditions: Kanazawa lacquerware decorated in the Kaga maki-e style, in which gold or silver powder is sprinkled into wet lacquer to build up a design; Wajima Nuri, the multi-layered lacquer technique associated with the port town of Wajima; and Yamanaka Nuri, known for lacquering over finely turned wood. Selling all three under one roof lets Nosaku present Ishikawa's lacquer output as a regional family rather than a single house style.

Beyond retail, Nosaku offers maki-e experience workshops where visitors can try the gold-leaf inlay technique themselves, alongside custom lacquerware commissions and a repair service for existing pieces. The business operates a main shop in Kanazawa's Hirokoji district and a second location inside JR Kanazawa Station, plus a small tea room, Urushi no Mi, on site.