Pewter Ware of Kyoto

An inherited and evolving craft

By Kyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Kyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Seikado, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Seikado

Since its establishment in 1838 Seikado has been making its mark in Kyoto’s history.

A pewter ingot, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Features

Pewter is an excellent rust-resistant material with substantial weight.

Pouring sake into a cup, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Pewter is soft enough to be easily bent by hand. To add strength to such soft material against easy bending, a hammer is used to beat the pewter  to tighten the molecule structure, producing minute undulations as a result. It also changes the way the surface looks and improves the way it feels to touch. This was how the technique to create three-dimensional shapes from pewter was developed.

Tea container with chinese poem, sake implements and tea containers, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Pewter has been used to make tableware such as sacred sake bottles, sake implements and tea containers.

Seikado: Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Working with pewter, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Production method

There are generally three types of pewter  modeling method. Despite being the same as that used in other metal crafts, the basic technique passed down from ancient times takes advantage of the characteristics of pewter.

Casting, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Casting by pouring molten pewter into a mold.

Polishing, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

The beautiful shine of pewter comes through once the rough surface is sanded down and polished. This is often down by placing the pewter ware sideways on the rokuro spinner, using a sharp knife called kanna to smooth out the surface.

The beautiful shine of pewter comes, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

The shining surface beams with a sense of cleanliness. This type of ware is called hikimono.

Tools, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Tools

Here are tools used to sand and polish pewter. The kanna knife is made to order by a smith. The number of craftsmen who make tailored tools are decreasing every year.

Beating out the texture, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Beating out the texture

The pewter is beaten with a hammer and shaped (this is called uchimono). Various hammers are skillfully used according to the desired thickness, size, shape and weight.

Cups with circular dents texture, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Circular dents texture

The finished shining surface is covered in dents that look like fish scales. Using a hammer with a polished head, the pewter  is repeatedly beaten. This is perhaps the one technique that allows metal to shine at its best.

Sake pot, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Rock texture

The head of a hammer is used to beat small dents into the metal sheet, creating tiny undulations resembling the surface of a rock which is rough to the touch.

Cups with cedar texture, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Cedar texture

This style best allows the creator’s style to come through.  A flat-headed hammer is used to beat the metal randomly in the same direction to create a texture resembling the bark of a cedar.

The appeal of pewter, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

The appeal of pewter

The appeal of pewter lies in its aesthetic light blue shine and feel of cleanliness unlike any other metal.

The aesthetics of pewter, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

The dents, scratches and distortions produced from long years of use contribute to the aesthetic of pewter ware.

Tea container and a ketttle, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Even the smallest dent or scratch from use are cherished by the user.

The Seikado Pewter Workshop, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

Being easily melted, old pewter ware objects have been melted for recycling. Recycled pewter is beaten out, soldered together, polished, and repeatedly repaired as pewter wares get passed down from one generation of users to the next.

The Seikado Shop, Pewter ware of Kyoto (2018) by SeikadoKyoto Women's University, Lifestyle Design Laboratory

The Seikado Shop has a variety of metal crafts on display as well as for sale. The warehouse, tearoom and traditional Japanese room at the back of the shop also serves as venues for exhibitions by metalcraft artists.

Credits: Story

Supported by:
Seikado, Genbei Yamanaka

Text by:
・Nana Kitano
・Miho Sanda


Video provided by:
・ Kengo Takayama (A-PROJECTS)

Photography by:
・Dr. Shinya Maezaki, Associate Professor, Kyoto Women's University
・Nana Kitano

English Translation by:
・Eddy Y.L Chang

Project Director:
・Dr. Shinya Maezaki, Associate Professor, Kyoto Women's University

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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