Shippo — cloisonné — has long been held to rival in beauty the seven treasures of Buddhist teaching: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, giant clam, coral and agate.

Kyoto Shippo
Shippo is a craft art with a thousand years of history and tradition, in which vitreous glaze is fired onto metal. The shippo that flowered in Kyoto — which may well be called a first-magnitude star as the centre of Japanese culture — is known as Kyoto cloisonné (shippo).

By a Master of Fifty Years
Among the makers of Kyoto Shippo, only a handful have more than 50 years of experience, and the maker Yoshihiro Akagawa is held to be one of the outstanding masters among them. The greatest mark of his technique is that he commands every stage of a craft normally divided among specialists, from making the base to the final polishing.

Intricate as a Mandala
This allows him to create forms, patterns and colours as intricate as a mandala, shaping them freely wherever his imagination leads. Please enjoy the exceptional beauty of colour by a leading figure of Kyoto Shippo, commended as a person of merit in traditional industrial technique.

What Is Shippo?
Shippo is Japanese cloisonné: vitreous glaze fired onto a metal body, a craft with a thousand years of history. The name comes from the seven treasures of Buddhist teaching.

Why a Paulownia Box
Paulownia wood is light, resists moisture and insects, and moves with changes in humidity — which is why it has been used in Japan for centuries to store what is valuable. A piece delivered in a paulownia box arrives ready to give, and the box itself is part of the gift.

Contents and Dimensions
Necklace × 1, paulownia box, booklet.
Pendant size: Height 6mm L 50mm W 40mm Chain length: 40cm
As each piece is handmade, slight variations in size may occur.