K. Uyeda – Uyeda Shoten 植田商店
(1884-present)
K. Uyeda was founded in 1884 by Uyeda Kichigoro (植田吉五郎) and is recognised as one of Japan’s longest-established silversmiths still in operation today. The business began with the sale of Satsuma ware vases and plates, gradually expanding to include silver tableware and other everyday items that found particular favour with foreign clients. In 1922, the shop relocated to the Yarakucho district near Ginza in Tokyo and, in the same year, opened a second location within the Imperial Hotel Arcade, a building designed by the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The following year, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed much of Yokohama and Tokyo, including Uyeda’s premises. The store was rebuilt and reopened in 1925.
Japanese Silver Box by Komyo who worked under the K. Uyeda brand available at Jacksons Antique
During the early 1930s, management passed to Kichigoro’s sons, Uyeda Fujiro (植田富士朗) and Uyeda Yoshimi (植田義巳). Over the years, the company attracted a distinguished clientele, including baseball legends Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, actress Marilyn Monroe, diplomat Henry Kissinger and his wife, and American scholar and diplomat Edwin Reischauer with his wife. While best known for silver tableware and functional silver items in the pre-war and immediate post-war years, by the late 1950s the company had shifted its focus toward cultured pearls and pearl jewellery. In 1973, Uyeda Shintaro (植田新太郎), the founder’s grandson, introduced Italian jewellery to Japan, a rare offering at the time. By the 1980s, the firm was devoted entirely to pearls and fine jewellery, leading to the adoption of its current name, Uyeda Jeweller.
Today, the business operates from its long-standing location at the Imperial Hotel Arcade in Tokyo, under the management of Tomohiro Uyeda (植田友宏), the great-grandson of the founder. The company continues to design and sell jewellery featuring pearls, precious metals, and gemstones, maintaining a legacy that spans more than a century.