Made in Tsubamesanjo 新潟　燕三条 2023

Made in Tsubamesanjo

Traditional Craftsmanship
October 14 ~ December 24, 2023

Following tremendous interest last year, ITSUMO is pleased to welcome back our Made in Tsubamesanjo Event. Offering a line up of brilliant products from the Tsubamesanjo, Niigata region, well known in Japan for stainless steel, copper, and kitchen & houseware manufacturing, we invite you to join us to explore and shop the exclusive homeware products produced by skilled Tusbamesanjo craftspeople using the highest quality materials.

Opening Reception
Friday, October 13, 2023

Please join us for our Made in Tsubemasanjo opening night reception, Friday, October 13, 2023 at 6pm (space is limited for ticket holders) for a unique opportunity to meet and listen to craftspeople and representatives from the Tsubemasanjo region who have traveled from Japan for this exclusive event.

Live Demonstration
Friday, October 13, 2023

Master Shibyua from the Gyokusendo company will offer a live demonstration of the traditional metal engraving technique used in their Tsuiki process. Gyokusendo is a recognized copperware manufacturer, family run since 1816, specialising in hand-hammered Tsuiki copperware. Using techniques designated nationally as an “intangible cultural property,” all of Gyokusendo’s copper products are handcrafted and coloured individually; each piece created to last a lifetime.

Copper Tea Scoop Workshop
Saturday, October 14, 2023

ITSUMO is honoured to host and offer our community a unique and exciting workshop experience at our ENISHI space in Vancouver on Saturday, October 14, 2023, free of charge to ten ITSUMO customers.

Featuring instructors from the Tsubamesanjo region of Japan, learn traditional copper-hammering techniques and craft your own copper tea scoop. This one-day-only workshop is free of charge and all supplies will be provided.

The workshop will be offered over two one-hour sessions. Space is limited to 5 students per session. Please apply at the link before October 6th, 2023 to enter the raffle to secure a spot in one of the two workshops. Participants will be chosen at random and will be required to leave a credit card deposit of $100. Please note: only no-shows or late cancellations will result in a $100 charge. This deposit is to ensure each workshop has full attendance.

What is Tsubamesanjo?

Located in the centre of Niigata Prefecture, Tsubame & Sanjo are two cities connected by their geographic relationship to the area on the Echigo plain where the Shinano and Nakanokuchi rivers meet, while Mount Yahiko watches over. Though the Niigata region is best known for its diverse natural environment and tradition of agricultural activity, the name Tsubamesanjo has long been synonymous with the finest expertise in metal processing and refined fabrication of many of Japan’s most well recognized and elegantly designed kitchen and houseware products.

The tradition of metal fabrication in these two communities dates back well over 400 years to the Edo period (1603-1867), when the manufacturing of metal nails marked a turning point in Japan’s early industrial revolution. Continuously developing and refining their processes, Tsubemesanjo has long since become one of the most innovative manufacturing centres in the world when it comes to utilising refined metal materials such as stainless steel, copperware and titanium for creating home use products. The time-honoured techniques and traditional processes of the region’s storied past have never been forgotten. As an example, the technique of forging Tsuiki metalware has been passed down an unbroken line, from generation to generation, for hundreds of years. The blending of traditional ways of production with an evolution using modern technology has always been the cornerstone of the Tsubamesanjo region.