Takaoka City in Japan

Takaoka City is located in Toyama Prefecture about 3 hours by Shinkansen from Tokyo. It is now regarded as the birthplace of metal casting industry.Nearby is the popular tourist destination of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa and Kenroku-en.

Metal casting industry in Takaoka started about 400 years ago.At that time, seven metal casters were invited to the town to start producing daily necessities and Buddhist accessories, and later developed to become one of the leading commercial cities on the west side of the Pacific from casting technology.Takaoka artisans are involved in many historical monuments such as the construction of temples and shrines in Kyoto and Nara, as well as the bell in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Olympic cauldron.

Today, Takaoka has workshops that produce interior decoration, kitchenware, and household goods by combining “traditional techniques for making Buddhist utensils and the Great Buddha” with “modern design”.