Nikko is so famous for that people said “Don’t use the word ‘marvelous’ until you’ve seen Nikko.”

For a long time. Person of carious statuses visited Nikko Tosho-Gu Shrine so Iemitsu TOKUNAGA who is the third Shogun of Edo shogunate decided to change Tosho-gu Shrine into more majestic one. He called great number of master-hands, carpenter, engraver, Urushi lacquer worker, and so many types of artisan. Engraver graved without the least difference from picture that painter draws. They says, in the internal of their work, they carve and engrave something and it is the origin of Nikko-bori.

After completing their work for Tosho-gu Shrine, they made wood tray and chest as souvenir for visitors and Nikko-bori became popular.

Nikko-bori is known for using special carving knife named “Hikkaki-tou”. Artisan uses a bent tip of Hikkaki-tou to carve the design on wood. After carving wood, lacquer is coated over it, and is the polishing by file to express the design surface.Even now, these process is artisan hand work so you may feel tradition through a hand mirror.