Small Sewing Box by Hiro (Seigaiha wave pattern)

Kanazawa is the castle town of Ishikawa in north central Japan. It is known for its fine crafts, and among them its sewing kits.

Hiro is a small garment maker in the town, passing through the generations for more than 80 years.

With a total of five employees, they now specialise in sewing accessories that show off various aspects of Kanazawa’s craft tradition, including lacquerware, yuzen dye and painted porcelain ceramics.

These small sewing sets are presented in a Paulownia wood boxes.  They differ in the laser made pattern on the lid, with either Seigaiha (wave) or Asanoha (hemp leaf) designs.

The compact boxes contain items sourced from around Japan.  The small scissors (said to be "Japan's smallest") are made in traditional metalworking area of Niigata. They have a plum flower shaped magnet on one side. The needles are in an easy to thread style made in Hiroshima. The pin cushion in made in fabric from the Noto Peninsula, and has a local, Kanazawa style design.  The boxes are made from wood from the southern Oita prefecture.  The two reels of thread are also made in Japan.

The boxes are 6cm x 3cm, and 2.4cm high