For one and a half centuries, the Yagi family has been mastering their craft of creating tea caddies in their Kyoto workshop under the Kaikado name. Currently run by the family’s sixth generation, the enterprise is Japan’s oldest tea caddy manufacturer still in operation and is renowned the world over for their hand made ‘Chazutsu’ cylindrical tea caddies. Created with impeccable precision, using the same 130 processes since the company’s founding in 1865, a lid manufactured this year will silkily glide down to make an airtight seal on a caddy manufactured half a century prior, making these pieces recognisable heirlooms.
2025 marks Kaikado’s 150th anniversary and to honour the remarkable milestone ERG Media, founded by Ted Gushue, has produced and published ‘Kaikado 150’, an art book narrating the brand’s rich history and unparalleled craftsmanship. With rich and highly detailed original photography, Kaikado 150 explores the historic atelier, including the meticulous process required to bring a caddy to life and the evolution of their timeless design, intertwining tradition and innovation to craft items that have been “refined to the point of almost being plain.”
Sensitively reflecting Kaikado’s long-standing legacy with their choice of materials, ERG have printed Kaikado 150 on two different types of paper and have used metallic inks in tones of tin, copper and brass throughout the book – the three materials used to craft caddies. The book’s chapters are separated by papers in richly textured paper, echoing Kaikado’s distinctive packaging and the open-spine binding, often seen in Japanese publishing, underscores the special construction of the book, highlighting the use of different types of paper.
