Marumo Takagi | Mino Ware Founded in 1887, Transforming Temperature into Design
Marumo Takagi, where temperature carries a story to the table
In 1887, in Ichinokura, Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, Marumo Takagi was born in one of Japan’s most historic ceramic regions. This area is known for Mino ware, a tradition with a history of more than 1,400 years, and Ichinokura has long flourished as a town of sake cups. The company began as Marui Shoten, selling sake cups, and has continued its craft for 139 years. Today, under fifth-generation president Masaharu Takagi, the inherited handwork of generations has taken on a new and unexpected form.
That challenge is expressed in one idea: designing with temperature. Pour in a cold drink, and cherry blossoms appear on a white porcelain cup. Pour hot coffee, and autumn leaves begin to color a black mug. These vessels make the ideal moment of food and drink visible, bringing a sense of surprise and delight to the table. Marumo Takagi’s cold-sensitive and heat-sensitive series has become its signature, now loved on dining tables across six continents.
1,400 years of Mino ware, and 139 years of challenge
Mino ware accounts for approximately half of all ceramics produced in Japan. Its major production area is Ichinokura in Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, where Marumo Takagi is based. Kilns, painters, glaze specialists, pigment processors, and many other artisans work together in this region. A single vessel is completed through the hands and techniques of many people. Standing at the center of this network, Marumo Takagi produces its tableware through an integrated process, from planning and production to final delivery.
The company was founded in 1887 as Marui Shoten, beginning with the sale of sake cups. After the end of World War II in 1945, the family returned from Shanghai and rebuilt the business as a local ceramic wholesaler under the name Marumo. In 1990, through a purveyor of ceramics to the Imperial Household Agency, Marumo Takagi had the honor of supplying vessels for the Enthronement Ceremony of the Emperor Emeritus. Its pursuit of tableware rooted in Japanese food culture has quietly proven itself at these important moments in history.
Today, that legacy is carried forward by Masaharu Takagi, the company’s fifth-generation president. While preserving the craftsmanship passed down through the family, he has personally traveled overseas with an eye toward a world where Japanese food culture continues to spread. Through the idea of designing with temperature, he is guiding Marumo Takagi into its next era.
A tableware company coloring six continents. ― Marumo Takagi
Designing with temperature.
When Marumo Takagi speaks about its greatest commitment, and also its greatest challenge, it points to the precision of color development. The cold-sensitive series changes color at 17°C or below, while the heat-sensitive series changes color at 45°C or above. Special pigments are carefully blended and fired in a dedicated kiln. To achieve the ideal transformation in color, the team repeated the process of making and firing test pieces again and again.
At temperatures near the point of change, the design appears in a soft and gentle tone. As the vessel becomes colder or hotter, the colors emerge more clearly. Every subtle expression is the result of artisans and researchers confirming each detail one by one.
The first series featured cherry blossoms and fireworks that appear on white porcelain sake cups and transparent glasses. This was followed by the autumn leaves series, in which a design that is already colored changes into another shade. The pure beauty of white porcelain is also Marumo Takagi’s answer to making each color transformation stand out more vividly. By weaving the innovation of visible temperature into the traditional Mino ware techniques of transfer printing and hand painting, Marumo Takagi has created an experience found nowhere else, expressed directly on porcelain.
A dining experience filled with surprise and delight.
The history of Japanese pottery is said to begin with Jomon pottery more than 15,000 years ago. Marumo Takagi’s cold-sensitive and heat-sensitive series was born from a simple question: could one more new line be added to this long history? These vessels make the temperature of food and drink visible, showing the most delicious moment at a glance. It is often said that food is enjoyed with the eyes, but here, the tableware itself becomes part of the entertainment of the meal, not only the food placed upon it.
For an evening drink, for welcoming an important guest, or as a gift for a friend overseas. Marumo Takagi brings an entirely new dining experience to the table.
The history of Marumo Takagi
- 1887 Founded in Ichinokura, Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, as Marui Shoten, beginning with the sale of sake cups.
- 1945 After the end of World War II, the family returned from Shanghai and rebuilt the business as a local ceramic wholesaler under the name Marumo.
- 1980 Incorporated as a company with capital of 10 million yen.
- 1990 Supplied vessels for the Enthronement Ceremony through a purveyor of ceramics to the Imperial Household Agency.
- 2014 Established the overseas business division and exhibited at trade shows in Hong Kong and Singapore.
- 2017 Masaharu Takagi became the fifth-generation president.
- 2020 Launched the cold-sensitive and heat-sensitive series.
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