Yamada Heiando: Sue-hiro Hachi Tsuru Kame
Shaped in the form of a suehiro—a folding fan opening gracefully toward good fortune—this exquisite pair of lacquerware bowls is adorned with the timeless motif of tsuru-kame. The crane and turtle, symbols revered in Japanese tradition, embody wishes for longevity, harmony, and a life of enduring prosperity.
To hold these bowls is to hold a language of auspicious beauty. Their silhouette, widening outward like the unfolding of a fan, is a metaphor for happiness expanding through time. The crane, celebrated for its elegance and fidelity, and the turtle, esteemed for strength and constancy, appear together as companions in blessing. It is a design both poetic and deeply rooted in the rituals of Japanese life, where art has always been entwined with meaning.
Each bowl is handmade by the lacquerware artisans of Yamada Heiando, purveyor to the Imperial Household of Japan. Multiple coats of urushi lacquer are brushed, dried, and polished in careful succession to achieve a luminous finish that will retain its brilliance for decades. The resulting surface is both durable and refined, inviting use in daily meals or ceremonial occasions while carrying with it the dignity of an art form perfected over centuries.
Suehiro Hachi Tsuru Kame:Yamada Heiando Lacquerware Bowls
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Symbols of Prosperity and Long Life
In Japan, the imagery of the fan, crane, and turtle is more than decoration—it is an encoded blessing. The suehiro folding fan, opening toward a wider horizon, speaks of a future rich with fortune. The crane (tsuru), with its long lifespan and soaring elegance, is said to live for a thousand years. The turtle (kame), steady and enduring, is believed to live for ten thousand. Together, they form a triad of symbols for a prosperous and enduring life, cherished across generations.
Crafting these bowls requires mastery not only of form but of material. Urushi lacquer, drawn from the sap of the lacquer tree (Rhus verniciflua), is among the rarest natural finishes in the world. A single tree yields no more than 200 milliliters of sap in its lifetime, making every application precious. The lacquer is applied in numerous thin layers, each carefully dried and polished before the next is added. This ancient method, unchanged for centuries, gives the surface its unparalleled depth, luster, and resilience.
In Heiando’s atelier, this process is both discipline and devotion. Artisans devote years of training to mastering brush pressure, curing times, and polishing techniques. The glossy surface that emerges is more than finish—it is a mirror of patience and time itself.
cultural resonance
The Suehiro Hachi Tsuru Kame bowls are more than functional vessels; they are heirlooms in the making. In Japanese households, such bowls are often given on celebratory occasions—weddings, anniversaries, and longevity ceremonies—where they carry with them blessings for the recipient’s future. To give this pair as a gift is to extend a prayer for happiness and a life of fulfillment.
Beyond their symbolic power, the bowls stand as living testimony to the endurance of Japanese lacquerware. From the earliest discoveries of lacquer use in the Jōmon period over 9,000 years ago to its refined perfection in the Edo period, urushi has been part of Japan’s cultural identity. These bowls connect the present with that vast continuum of tradition, offering collectors and users alike a piece of history that remains vital today.
company overview
Yamada Heiando: Imperial Purveyor of Lacquerware
Founded in 1919 by Konosuke Yamada, the Tokyo-based lacquerware atelier quickly rose to prominence, serving discerning collectors and, most notably, the Imperial Household of Japan. In recognition of its mastery, Yamada Heiando was awarded a Royal Warrant, an honor granted only to brands personally selected by the Emperor for their excellence.
As one of the few remaining Royal Warrant holders, Yamada Heiando continues to embody the ideals of perfection, artistry, and service to tradition. Its creations, ranging from tableware to jewelry boxes, are sought not only in Japan but across the world by embassies, temples, and connoisseurs of refined craftsmanship.
owning a piece of history
The Suehiro Hachi Tsuru Kame bowls embody the rare union of symbol, craft, and heritage. They invite their owner into a story that begins in Japanese tradition and continues in the present moment—where an object of beauty is also an object of meaning.
To display them in one’s home, to serve with them at table, or to present them as a gift is to participate in a cultural legacy of refinement. These bowls are not only vessels of food but vessels of blessing, carrying into the future the wishes of prosperity and longevity that have accompanied Japan’s people for centuries.
Yamada Heiando lacquerware brings Imperial tradition into your hands—timeless, auspicious, and profoundly Japanese.
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