Hasegawa: 400 Years of Experience in the Tea Ceremony

In the Hasegawa family workshop, history is never far from reach: both the tools and skills used are passed down from generation to generation. This family of artisans specialises in producing items used in the tea ceremony, and has been beating precious and semi-precious metals since the Edo period.

Trained by the legendary Shiro Sekiya, Takejiro Hasegawa is one of Japan’s most respected artisans and masters. His wife Mami, a graduate in literature from the prestigious Waseda University, began working in metalware and thus became part of this distinguished lineage, creating a world in which mythological inspiration and simplicity come together. Her accessories, bowls, vases and tea sets, characterised by a primitive beauty and an uncompromising functionality, have been displayed in Japan since 1974, and are now on show in galleries all over the world.

An internationally-minded artisan, Mami breathes new life into tradition, thus confirming her status as a central part of the Hasegawa family.