Inden-ya (historic shop and museum)

photo by JGDfgdfgf1 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Lacquering deerskin remained a family secret for twelve generations.

The shop sells bags and wallets of inden (印伝), the smoked and lacquered (urushi) deerskin typical of Kōfu: the ‘matsukawa inden’ style (松皮印伝, ‘pine-bark inden’) takes its name from the cracks in the lacquer. The adjoining museum displays pieces from the Edo period to the early Shōwa years.

Its origins date back to 1582, when a vassal of the Takeda clan named Uehara Dekurobei, who had taken refuge in Shinano Province after the fall of the clan, began making protective gear of decorated leather. An ancestor of the family, Uehara Yūshichi, then invented the inden technique proper, handed down from father to son in secret for twelve generations: only the thirteenth, the current one, has made it public. The koshū inden was designated a national traditional craft in 1987.

ℹ️ Shop 10:00–18:00, museum 10:00–17:00. Museum ticket: 200 yen adults, 100 yen elementary/junior high school students. 15 minutes on foot from Kōfu Station, or 5 minutes by bus from the south exit (Chūō 3-chōme bus stop).

🚉 Kanente · 8 min walk

Sources: inden-ya.co.jp · kofu-tourism.com

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