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While paying homage to the traditional chopstick-making techniques handed down in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, including the ancient Wakasa-nuri and Raden, we reconsider and create a new interpretation of what chopsticks should be to suit modern lifestyles and values.
“HAJIME” is KAWAI’s flagship brand, which starts a new future beyond the 400-year history of Wakasa lacquered chopsticks.
KAWAI, who believes that “chopsticks can be more interesting,” has reinterpreted Wakasa-nuri chopsticks with a modern sensibility and created the “HAJIME ISAI” series, a lineup of free and bold ideas.
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The “HAJIME INISHIE” series is a lineup that brings the technique of Wakasa-nuri chopsticks, a traditional craft started by our predecessors in Wakasa region, into the modern age.
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The “creaters” who are indispensable to HAJIME’s
chopsticks share their thoughts on the process.
企画開発
Planning 
When people hear of traditional crafts, they tend to hesitate using them in daily life because they are expensive. We are trying to breathe life into Wakasa lacquered chopsticks, which tend to have such a high profile image, by making them more enjoyable and accessible cutlery that people will want to pick up and use in their daily lives. Through the creation of HAJIME chopsticks, our goal is to reconstruct traditional techniques.
As represented by “Tsuishu Shikisai”, while the lacquering and polishing techniques themselves are classic, the bold use of pastel colors and other vivid hues challenges new expressions that overturn the stereotypes of lacquered chopsticks.
The handiwork of a craftsman backed by experience is indispensable in creating delicate layers of color on the small surface of chopsticks. Since the actual finish could not be confirmed until it went through all processes, we repeatedly made samples, verified and improved them, and finally reached completion after half a year’s work.
Why do we care so much about chopsticks? It is because we believe that chopsticks are not just a tool, but play an important role to enrich a dining table. Just as you feel a taste of sake better when served in a delicate glass, tableware has the power to enhance both the flavors and feelings we experience By changing chopsticks, we hope that the daily routine of eating will become a little richer. It is precisely because of this desire that we put our sincerity and passion into our chopsticks.
Nothing would make us happier than if you could pick up HAJIME and feel the passion of the chopstick creators who live and breathe for the art of chopstick making.
職人
Craftsman
Finally, we can deliver our best workmanship to you. The joy of completing a pair of chopsticks that you have worked so hard on is irreplaceable. As the name HAJIME implies, the brand has many ambitious products that we have tried to produce for the first time.
One of them is “Raden Kousai”. This chopsticks have a one-of-a-kind, fantastic shimmer that is released by scattering powdered abalone shells.
At first glance, this process may seem simple, but it requires a perfect balance of shells and paints to express unique luster. The finer the shell is crushed, the finer the powder becomes. However, it tends to sink when immersed in the paint. On the other hand, if the shell is roughly granulated, it looks rough and uncomfortable to hold.
In addition, the process of lacquering and polishing can basically be done only once a day, thus taking several months to complete in some cases. Because of the time-consuming nature of the production process, the number of craftsmen who manufacture these products has been decreasing recently. Nevertheless, we consist on chopsticks manufacturing because they push us beyond our own limits.
営業
Sales
Chopsticks play a prominent role at the dining table. It is not something that make a big difference in your daily life, but it enhances your meals, which are the star of the show, and slightly improve the quality of your life. We want to deliver the charm and the value of the handiwork behind it to as many people as possible. HAJIME was born from this desire.
The appeal of this brand, which consists of two series, “INISHIE” and “ISAI”, under the theme of the tradition and future of Wakasa lacquered chopsticks, lies in the craftsmanship that goes to the great effort of making each pair of chopsticks one by one in an industry that is becoming increasingly mechanized.
While ordinary chopsticks are completed in about 10 processes, many HAJIME chopsticks, which craftsmen repeatedly apply the lacquer, require more than 100 processes to manufacture.
For example, “Rinka,” a pair of chopsticks I was involved in planning, is characterized by the pretty flowers on the handles. For the warmth and texture that only handmade products can provide, all the leaf painting and petal patterning is done by hand.
How can we express the beautiful floral patterns and the plush texture that fits comfortably on the finger? Through repeated dialogues with craftsmen and repeated prototyping, we realized our ideal.
Although it is said that almost all of the techniques of expression have been tried and tested in the 400-year history of Wakasa-nuri chopsticks, there is still room for evolution by applying originality and ingenuity in this way. That is why we would like to take on the challenge of creating chopsticks that have never been seen before, and propose new joys to people’s lives.
Through HAJIME, the circle of people who choose chopsticks with particular care and attachment will grow and eventually spread to dining tables around the world. We are seriously dreaming of such a future.
お客様
Customer
When choosing chopsticks or tableware, it is of course important that they are easy to use and wash. However, it is also important that they feel comfortable when it held in one’s hand and they look good enough to be used with affection for every day use.
For example, they may have a simple but attractive texture that blends well with the table and food, or they may have a design that is stylish and uplifting just by placing them on the table. We are happy when we encounter such attractive items that are not only practical as objects, but also make our daily lives a little better.
Wakasa lacquered chopsticks have the image of quality chopsticks made by hand by craftsmen. On the other hand, the term “traditional crafts” gives the impression that they were somewhat difficult to reach. What I felt when I saw HAJIME at the first time was a sense of newness and expectation that overturned such preconceptions.
I was surprised that the sparkle of “Raden” was expressed by using shells, and I like the gradation of the design of the chopsticks, which even looks very current.
There are so many ways to make the same chopsticks, from those that are truly traditional and historical to those with innovative colors that are hard to believe they are chopsticks.
We can have different colors for each family member, or choose chic colored chopsticks for our parents’ generation and send them as a gift.
I am somewhat excited the enjoyment of living will expand through chopsticks. We look forward to continuing to encounter chopsticks that will make us aware of new charms of the traditional crafts.
We invite you
to explore our work
