The Himeno-saku was founded in 1924 in the city of Yao, Osaka prefecture. The studio has kept producing aluminium and copper cookware for almost 100 years.

Their technique is known as “uchidashi”, a way of forging the metal by hammering. The more it's hammered, the sturdier it becomes. The hammer marks widen the surface of the pot and makes the pot get heated more evenly.

The third generation craftman of Himeno-saku, Mr Himeno Hisakazu is one of a few remaining hand-hammered pot makers in Japan. Mr Himeno has a passion that hasn’t changed since he began creating Himeno-saku. His desire is to “create a product that can be used for a lifetime”.

A pattern is etched each time the metal is pounded, which means that no mistakes can be made, requiring skill and intuition. The patterns Himeno makes with his rhythmic pounding are quite beautiful.