Experience making ethical tableware at a 300-year-old foundry in Kanazawa
Immerse yourself in the traditional craft of sand casting at a rare, retro factory in Kanazawa.
Overview
Founded in 1714, Kanamori Alloy is one of Kanazawa's oldest foundries, its origins tied to the service of Maeda Toshinaga, lord of the Kaga Domain. For more than three centuries it has carried forward the sand-casting techniques of the Edo period, alongside a metal-refining mastery precise enough to produce components for rocket parts.
From the day its workshop opened, the foundry has built recycling into every stage of its process, reusing material rather than discarding it. That ethic gives the tour its name: the tableware you cast here is made the way it has been made for generations, with nothing wasted.
Guided by a local artisan, you spend the morning learning the history of this Kanazawa institution and then casting a piece of tableware with your own hands, in a working factory where the past is still very much at work.
Details
❖ Hotel Pick-up and Drive to Kanamori Alloy
09:30 - 10:00 (30 min)
Your guide meets you at your hotel in Kanazawa, and a private taxi carries you to the Kanamori Alloy foundry to begin the morning.
❖ A Foundry's History and Choosing Your Piece
10:00 - 10:30 (30 min)
Settle into the workshop to hear the story of this foundry, then choose the piece you will cast. Among the options are the slim confectionery knives used to cut Japanese sweets; in Kanazawa they double as forks or toothpicks, and because cast aluminium conducts heat so well, they make a fine butter knife too.
❖ Become a Blacksmith for the Morning
10:30 - 11:30 (1:00 h)
Under the close guidance of a local craftsman, you pack and shape your own sand mould, then watch aluminium alloy heated to roughly 800 degrees Celsius being poured into it: the moment your tableware takes form.
❖ The Artisans' Gallery
11:30 - 12:00 (30 min)
With your own piece cooling, you are free to admire the wider work of Kanamori Alloy. Look for the Pin-less Kenzan, a copper rethinking of the flower-arranging frog that is shown to extend the life of cut flowers.
❖ Return to Your Hotel
12:00 - 12:30 (30 min)
With your handmade tableware in hand, the taxi returns you to your hotel in Kanazawa.
OPTIONS
Notes
Beyond the standard 9:30 start, other time slots are available on request; please mention your preferred time when booking.
Hotel pick-up and drop-off, including the round-trip taxi, are included only for hotels within Kanazawa.
Meeting Point
Your guide meets you at your hotel in Kanazawa, then you travel together by taxi to the foundry.
What's included:
English-speaking guide
Round-trip taxi fare from your hotel in Kanazawa to Kanamori Alloy
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Materials for the experience
Photos of tour participants
Local tax
What's not included:
Food and drinks
Free cancellation up to 8 days before the experience starts (local time)
Private experience
2
-
6
Participants
Kanazawa
From ¥12,000 /person
3 hours
Traveler Photos
From ¥12,000 /person
3 hours
Kanazawa