The history of "Maki-e" dates back to the Asuka period, and it is an ancient Japanese technique whose proof still remains in works such as the Shosoin Imperial Treasure "Gold and Silver Fine-cut Tang Sword."

Maki-e, a decorative lacquerware technique in which gold, silver, tin powder, colored powder, etc. are sprinkled onto a lacquered base, was an important decoration for interior furnishings and temples during the Heian period, and laid the foundations for the craft to this day. It is said that most of the basic techniques were perfected by the mid-Muromachi period. Maki-e was applied to the origins of stationery such as writing boxes, inkstone boxes, and brushes, further enhancing its artistic value.

"Maki-e" is the essence of Japanese beauty and traditional crafts that we want to keep close to us and experience its beauty at all times.

The oldest surviving example of Wajima lacquerware is the vermilion-lacquered door of the main hall of Juzo Gongen in Kawai-cho, which is said to have been made in the Muromachi period in 1524. The techniques of lacquerware itself can be traced back to the Jomon period, and it has continued to evolve and deepen as new ideas and skills have been refined.

For example, the discovery of "Wajima Jino Powder," a powder made from baked diatomaceous earth, made it possible to create a sturdy base by mixing it with lacquer. A technique called "nunokise," in which cloth was used to cover areas that tended to become weak, was also developed. In this way, the construction method known as Honkatajiho, which supports the "elegance and robustness" unique to Wajima lacquerware, was perfected.

In the Edo period, the technique of chinkin was established during the Kyoho era, and then the technique of makie was introduced during the Bunka and Bunsei eras, and the unique value of Wajima lacquerware as "a tool used in daily life, but also an art form" was established.