Deer leather with a supple texture dyed in vibrant colors
A truly unique template, each one painstakingly hand-carved by the artisan
MUSUBU PARTNER
Inden Yamamoto Co Ltd.
Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture
Inden Yamamoto is exploring new possibilities for Inden craft while maintaining its traditions
Founded in 1955, Inden Yamamoto is home to the only certified traditional craftsman for the technique, who is now passing down this art to the next generation.
Two generations ago, Kinnosuke Yamamoto worked at Uehara Shoten (now known as Indenya Uehara Yushichi), and later founded his own business which became this company. Later, Kinnosuke’s eldest son, Makoto, inherited the business. Makoto inherited Kinnosuke’s skills and passed the certification examination to become a traditional craftsman of Koshu Inden in 1996, and has carried out his work as the sole certified traditional craftsman in this art form for decades thereafter. Since 2000, his eldest son Yusuke and second son Noriyuki have also joined the company. Each leveraging each other’s strengths, they strive to expand the demand for Koshu Inden products and further improve product quality.
While working to increase recognition of Koshu Inden through efforts such as workshops and lectures, Inden Yamamoto is also proactively expanding its partnerships. Ordering methods have been improved to support a variety of needs, including support for custom-ordered goods, and the company is exploring new possibilities for Koshu Inden. Inden Yamamoto also strives to ensure the traditional craft will be passed down, as Yusuke Yamamoto, who is currently the only certified traditional craftsman in this art form, inherited the technique from his father.
The quality and speed of the work are what make the technique of a traditional craftsman truly exceptional. Maintaining focus to complete multiple works without any loss in quality is extremely difficult when working with traditional crafts. Currently, the company is also committing to craft its Inden products using only materials sourced locally in Yamanashi. The team continues to work day by day to achieve an Inden with high traceability utilizing Yamanashi deer, lacquer, and their traditional techniques.
MUSUBU MOVIE
Founded in 1955, Inden Yamamoto is home to the only certified traditional craftsman for the technique, who is now passing down this art to the next generation.
Line up
Inden Yamamoto tapered shape strap
The Inden Yamamoto strap utilizes tanned deerskin, which is dyed and decorated with lacquer patterns. The final product is a robust fawn leather which is pleasingly soft to the touch. Compared to cowhide, deerskin has finer fibers, which also means the lacquer decorations can adhere to it more easily. To apply the decorations, paper is placed on the leather and treated with lacquer. The paper used is “Ise dyed pattern paper” which is also known as “Mino Washi”, and each and every decoration on this customized product is carefully carved by hand. Because the patterns are completely hand-carved by artisans, each pattern of this traditional craft process takes more than three months to complete. The rounded, beautiful three-dimensional patterns are one of the unique characteristics of Inden, formed by utilizing the surface tension of the lacquer to fix the paper in place and harden in the exact same position. With the Inden Yamamoto strap, these traditional Inden crafts can be enjoyed on your own wrist.
More detail