
Insight | The Komai Company Japan
May 1st 2023
In our latest post, we are going to dive into the fascinating founding company of the Nunome Zogan inlay technique, and that is the Komai company. At Jacksons Antique, I would say it’s fairly common knowledge. We are keen Japanese collectors ourselves and are extremely interested in not only buying and selling beautiful Japanese antiques but also collecting them and learning all there is about their history.
The Komai company is one of the most renowned Japanese metalworking companies from the late Edo-Meiji period, and its work is synonymous with all types of Japanese damascene metalwork. Much like a vacuum cleaner is called a ‘hoover’, most Japanese damascene boxes are called ‘Komai’ boxes.
Before we get stuck in, a quick explanation of Damascene Nunome Zogan. Zogan is a traditional Japanese inlay technique with several different forms depending on the material used. With its use in metal, a thin plate is used as a base, and small coloured pieces are inlaid to create delicate patterns with subtle colour differences and uneven surfaces. For example, inlaying gold or silver onto an iron base. Nunome Zogan literally translates to cloth inlay and consists of preparing a flat surface with crosshatched lines using a fine chisel to create a series of lines on the entire surface in several directions to give it a texture resembling woven cloth. Thin wire or gold leaf is then overlaid and secured on this prepared surface. After many different wires are inlaid, the master sculpture can begin to create a desired image.
Let’s be clear: Sebei Komai didn’t invent the Damascus technique; however, he was the pioneer of the Japanese Damascene Nunome Zogan version. The earliest versions of Damascus have been documented to have originated in Syria, where it later travelled down the Silk Road and reached Japan during the Asuka period (592-710).
The Komai Family Tale
The Komai family is one of the most recognizable metalworkers of the Meiji era, known for their exceptional ability to work mixed metal media into spectacular objects with a very recognisable style. The Komai name has gained a world-renowned reputation as one of the legends of Japanese metalwork. Their pieces are highly collectable and desired around the globe by collectors and enthusiasts.
The Komai family workshop was opened in 1841 in Kyoto by Komai Seibei, a known sword fittings maker. He had three sons named Komai Yoshitaka, Komai Yoshihiro, and Komai Otojiro. It is believed that in the early 1850s, Seibei developed a damascene technique named Nunome Zogan. Komai originally used this technique to decorate his crafted weaponry and fittings, which were made and sold at the forefront of the Komai business. In 1855, at the age of thirteen, the third son, Komai Otojiro began to study inlay techniques with Misaki Shushuke a sword-fitting artisan from Higo (present day Kumamoto). During the same period, he established his own company on the street adjacent to his father’s. Otojiro’s father passed away in 1961, and his two other sons, Yoshitaka and Yoshihiro, became sole proprietors of the S. Komai workshop.
Seibei Komai Iron Charger, Signed to the rear with S. Komai Calligraphy Mark
Seibei Komai Shop Front in Japan
Otojiro went on to produce sword fittings like his father’s company up until 1867 when the Meiji restoration and the Haito Edic brought major changes. The Haito Edic was also known as the Sword Abolishment Edict, and the Meiji government of Japan issued it on March 28, 1876. It directly prohibited people, except for Daimyos (former lords), the military, and law enforcement officials, from carrying weapons in public. The Komai family and many others had to find alternative methods to earn a livelihood. They applied their exceptional talents to creative objects and began to craft damascene pieces such as cigarette cases, boxes, plates, miniature cabinets, vases, and a host of other objects with a general theme of smaller decorative pieces.
As Otojiro perfected his crafts, he started selling his own works in Kobe around 1873, and due to the high demand, he found himself in a fortunate position to be able to purchase a new house in Kyoto from the profits in 1881. He went on to produce some larger pieces such as okimono, incense burners, vases and miniature Shodana cabinets. Sadly, in 1885, he lost the property to a fire. Lost without his property, he began working for a fellow metal worker named Seisuke Ikeda, but due to the relationship, Otojiro couldn’t mark his works with his personal mark and instead had to use the Seisuke mark. Interestingly, in the image below, the piece is marked with the wording gomeigaisha, which directly translates to ‘unlimited partnership’, which could suggest the partnership between Otojiro and Seisuke.
A Five sectioned box and cover signed Kyoto Ikeda Gomeigaisha sei but probably made by Otojiro Komai under the instruction of Seisuke Ikeda. Sold by Bonhams Lot 555 Fine Japanese Art 16 May 2013.
During the years of 1885-1894 Seisuke Ikeda owned the sole rights to Otojiro’s work and therefore constrained him from his individual crafting, they started to make lower-priced objects such as cigarette cases and smaller jewellery boxes. Fortunately, Otojiro managed to become independent again in 1894. However, Otojiro continued producing lower-value objects and enhanced his business plan by employing lower-cost workers, thus increasing his revenue.
In 1894, Komai Otojiro became independent again. He continued with the strategy of Seisuke Ikeda and produced mostly low-price objects while enhancing the revenue by employing low-cost workers.
Otojiro was self-promoted as “the pioneer in the manufacture of damascene ware” and was constantly improving the inlaying technique originated by his father. He devoted his life’s work to crafting high-quality pieces for national and foreign exhibitions to establish the O. Komai brand. The period from 1900 to 1915 was the company’s most productive time. Komai Otojiro submitted his works to more than a dozen national and international exhibitions, winning prestigious prizes at almost all of them.
Komai Otojiro retired in 1906 and referred to himself as Komai Shusuke, and although he retired, he continued to work until 1912 and produced gold wires for inlaying. Komai Otojiro died in 1917 at the age of 75, and the business was taken over by his son Seibei Komai (1883-1970), who took the name Otojiro II. Otojiro II continued to submit the company’s work to national and foreign exhibitions and, in 1919, opened a company branch in Osaka, at Shinsaibashi Kitazume.
The Second Industrial Revolution began during the 1920s, which resulted in the first electrification and the construction of production lines in factories. Objects that were hand-made were now being mass-produced in factories. The Komai company couldn’t compete with the much faster and cheaper products, and consequently, starting from the second half of the 1920s, the quality of the company’s pieces greatly decreased. The amount of inlaid gold was significantly reduced, which left most of the surface covered by black lacquer as it was far cheaper. The inlaying itself was much less elaborated. The famous O. Komai trademark, the dragonfly, changed its appearance and was composed of only five straight, thin gold wires, not the more flowing dragonfly seen before, and items began to be marked below with the word “JAPAN”, which was added to decorative arts specifically made for export in 1930s.
From the late 1920s, the Komai company expanded their business, opening stores at 262 Shinmonzen Street and within the property of the Miyako Hotel. They also expanded their product line to include bronze and silver objects to offer a diverse selection of metal wear. In the 1930s, they opened a third branch at Imperial Hotel Arcade, Tokyo. During the 1930s, the Komai company became an agent shop of the Mikimoto Perl Store. They added to their inventory by selling Pearl jewellery in their shops in Kyoto. In 1941, the Komai company ceased production of metalwork products, and after WWII they went onto focus solely on pearl jewellery, which they continue to sell today. Sadly, after multiple generations and decades of perfecting the damascene inlay technique, the Komai family’s traditional methods have since been lost to time.
In today’s market, Komai wear is highly collectable and can fetch high figures in auction houses. It is seen as extremely desirable in the market. Finding genuine works by the Komai company can be tricky, and often, inlay items are not signed and are attributed to the Komai workshops.
At Jacksons Antique, we offer a diverse range of Japanese metalwork products. For further information and our current listings of Damascene, please see our Asian antique collection, specifically our Japanese category. We offer a free monthly newsletter that showcases our latest stock, so please sign up at the bottom of any page.
We want to credit and say a special thank you to Dr. Georgiy Shoulga. http://www.smokingsamurai.com/ for the extensive research on the Komai family.

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Purveyor of beautiful objects to the luxury market through my bespoke internet platform and business Jacksons Antique with a focus on Japanese and European Antiques. I am a new generation of online antique dealer with 10+ years experience within the industry working exclusively online and through select exhibitions. The core of the business consists of trust with all clients giving you the upmost confidence in every piece you purchase. I am extremely lucky to be able to handle some of the most beautiful objects ever made and offer them to a worldwide audience whilst bringing down the average dealer age considerably!