INDEN: a piece of Japan in your hands - lacquered deer leather from Kofu

I have always been a big fan of Inden products from INDEN-YA.

Light and soft to the touch, they are like having a piece of Japan in your hands.

Inden is deer skin adorned in lacquer also known as "Japan", like “China” for ceramics.

The lacquer patterns embossed as little cherry blossoms, dragonfly, waves, or Mount Fuji, each have a symbolic significance. They also make the leather more durable.

What I love about INDEN-YA products is that their designs have met the functionalities of the times.

They date back to the age of the Samurai when Inden was used as cigarette pipe cases or satchels. Now, they make transit pass cases and smartphone covers.

The leather to make Inden was first brought to Koshu, now known as Yamanashi, by the Dutch East Indies Company in 1582.

This Dutch trading company that colonized Java and located its headquarters in Batavia - now Jakarta - brought the leather from India to the Kai province ruled by Takeda Shingen.

This is how Inden got their name, derived from “Indien”.

Rarely do you find something so traditional, so functional, and so beautiful, that I cannot help but introduce the INDEN-YA to my English-speaking friends.

As you may suspect, I would rather keep it a secret.

I was in Yamanashi for an Onsen trip and had the privilege of visiting the INDEN-YA headquarters, workshop, and flagship store, and fell in love with INDEN-YA once again.

This was on my way back from the Guiness approved world's oldest hotel, abundant with mineral water flowing out of even the room faucet.

If you get a chance to visit Kofu, definitely stop by at the INDEN-YA flagship store and their upstairs museum.

The oldest Japanese winery Sadoya with their onsite restaurant is not far from the Kofu station either.

If you don’t make it to Yamanashi prefecture, well..

I am sure that you can spot the Inden products in Tokyo or elsewhere.

But do make it a point to see Japan beyond Kyoto and Osaka, and make sure to splurge for the local economy.

Below, a piece on my visit to INDEN-YA headquarters, their workshop, and the little museum, for my Japanese speaking readers.