Kaikado has been making tea caddies in Kyoto since 1875, importing Cornish tinplate, and in over 150 years very little has changed. Each piece is still made by hand, using a method that involves well over a hundred individual steps. Sheets of metal are cut, shaped, joined and adjusted, with most of the work relying on touch rather than measurement using many of the tools that have been in use since the Meiji Restoration.

The caddies – chazutsu in Japan – look simple, just a cylinder with a lid. But the reality is more complex and precise. To close the caddy align the joint line on the lid with the joint line on the body, then release, and the lid will go down slowly by itself, the soft hiss of air escaping indicating the caddy is now airtight. These fine tolerances, the result of repeated adjustment rather than machinery, require a high degree of skill and experience.

The materials are straightforward but beautiful. A polished outer layer of tin, brass or copper will develop a patina over time and as chazutsu are passed down over generations will develop their own finish. The inner lining is a double layer of unpolished tin, designed to keep the contents dry and airtight.

There’s a long history behind the work, based on the belief that machine methods reduce quality, a belief that has at times cost the company. But one thing has definitely changed, and that is global recognition. In the last 20 years the number of foreign customers has gone from zero to around 70% of their sales. That belief is paying off.

All images: © Kaikado