"Susutake" (Smoked Bamboo) is a special type of bamboo obtained from the roof timbers from old traditional Japanese thatched-roof style houses most of which are in excess of 150 years old. The surface of the bamboo is naturally colored to a deep red brown color from continuous exposure to the smoke of the "Irori" (a traditional Japanese sunken fire/hearth). Different color tones are seen in the surface of the material depending upon its location and the type and quantity of the smoke over time. The continuous smoke over centuries has "seasoned" the bamboo material making it flexible and stable. The special appeal of Susutake is the fact that it is a natural material. Susutake is a highly treasured material used in traditional tea ceremonies in Japan for centuries. The raw material is becoming increasingly rare and difficult to obtain.

Maki- e (Urushi Lacquer) Artist Kato Seisho

Ms. Kato was trained at the Institute of Wajima Lacquer Arts in Ishikawa Prefecture, and has exhibited various Maki-e works mainly through New Work for Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Shitsukou-Kai, and San-no-Kai. Her originality and artistic senses shown in the Maki-e works are highly valued by the experts.
In 1990, she worked on the restoration of Takamikura (the Emperor’s throne) and Michoudai (a curtained platform used by nobles in Heian period) in the Imperial Household Agency. In 1993, she created the *Hyoumon Lacquer Box for the Shikinen Sengu Ceremony- the renewal of the shrine conducted every twenty years, in the Ise-Jingu (the shrine of Gods).
Ms. Kato works closely on a variety of Maki-e projects for the Sailor brand fountain pens including the "Susutake" Maki-e Limited Editions.
*Hyoumon Lacquer is a technique in which thin strips of precious metals are applied onto the base material, and then lacquer coated and polished.