Ume Dome Box : Maru Kashi-ki Eda-ume Maki-e

The Ume Dome Box by Yamada Heiando embodies the essence of Japanese lacquer artistry — a creation where tradition, symbolism, and refined beauty converge. Shaped in elegant dome form, its surface blooms with the beloved ume (plum blossom), long admired in Japan as a symbol of vitality and joyful renewal. Available in vermilion red (shu) and midnight black (kuro), in both large and small sizes, the Ume Dome Box is more than a container: it is a vessel of meaning, history, and quiet elegance.

For centuries, the Japanese have immortalized ume blossoms in poetry, painting, and lacquerware. They flower in late winter, when the air is still cold, making them a metaphor for resilience and hope. To own or gift a Ume Dome Box is to share in this cultural inheritance — an enduring celebration of spirit and artistry.

Quintessence of Traditional Techniques

Maki-e Gilding: Gold in Motion

At the heart of each dome box is the time-honored craft of maki-e (literally “sprinkled picture”). Ultrafine powders of gold are brushed and sprinkled over wet lacquer in delicate layers, creating shimmering surfaces that catch the light in motion. Yamada Heiando’s artisans maintain an archive of more than 300 variations of gold powders — each with subtle differences in size, thickness, and brilliance. Hammered down to just 1/10,000 mm, these particles are so thin that light itself shines through them, lending each box an otherworldly glow.

Two traditional forms of maki-e are employed. Hira maki-e produces a flat, glassy surface where powdered and plain areas become seamless; taka maki-e adds relief, creating designs that rise from the lacquer as if sculpted in light. Each technique requires extraordinary skill — the steady hand of an artisan able to coax uniformity from the most delicate materials.

The process is long and exacting: design traced, powders sprinkled, surfaces dried, layers reapplied, outlines redrawn. Every stage is calibrated to preserve the lustrous integrity of gold while ensuring durability for daily use. What emerges is a surface at once smooth to the touch and luminous to the eye — artistry perfected over centuries.

Urushi Lacquer: Rare and Ecological

The brilliance of the Ume Dome Box rests upon urushi, a natural lacquer drawn from the sap of the Rhus verniciflua tree. Each tree yields no more than 200 ml in its lifetime, making urushi among the rarest of natural materials. Japanese urushi is especially prized, containing up to 70% urushiol — the component that lends unmatched luster and resilience.

This lacquer has a history stretching back over 3 million years to its use as adhesive in the Stone Age, but it was in Japan that it became an art of refinement. Resistant to acids, alkalis, and time itself, urushi is both functional and eternal. In the Ume Dome Box, clear lacquer is blended with mineral pigments to create the deep vermilion red (shu) or midnight black (kuro), colors revered in Japanese aesthetics for their dignity and brilliance.

Symbolism of Ume Blossoms

The plum blossom (ume, 梅) occupies a cherished place in Japanese culture. Blooming in February, it braves the final frost of winter, signaling the approach of spring. For this reason, ume has long symbolized high spirits, vitality, and endurance. Its round petals, painted here with maki-e gilding, embody joy and renewal.

As a gift, the Ume Dome Box becomes a gesture of hope and celebration. It is particularly suited for birthdays, anniversaries, or life milestones, carrying with it centuries of auspicious symbolism.