In 1908, master woodturner Komakichi Gato founded his woodworking plant in Yamanaka Onsen – an area with a rich history of making kiji: the plain wooden vessels on which urushi lacquers are applied. Now in their fourth generation, GATO MIKIO is committed to preserving Yamanaka lacquerware traditions by carefully adapting them to modern life. Working in collaboration with contemporary Japanese product designers, GATO MIKIO's international award-winning tableware elegantly marries the past to the present.
The KEURA collection is designed together with Satoshi Umeno. Meaning beauty and elegance, the name Keura is taken from a quote in the ancient Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, in which the protagonist, Princess Kaguya, is discovered as a baby inside a glowing stalk of bamboo. Accordingly the collection is straight and slender like bamboo, taking simplicity to the limits to ensure a soft touch.