Transmitting time-honored tradition to the next generation

The late Gonroku Matsuda, who was later to become Japan's most respected Maki-e artisan and a designated Living National Treasure, began his residence with PILOT in November 1926. Soon after joining, he brought together more than 80 Maki-e artisans, both working for and independent of PILOT, to form a Maki-e artisan group. This was the beginning of what is now called the KOKKOKAI.
The group derived its name from the words of one of PILOT's founders, the late Ryosuke Namiki: “Just as sumo is Japan's national sport, so Maki-e is the light of our nation”. (KOKKOKAI is formed of three characters meaning nation, light and group, respectively). All of PILOT's Maki-e products are inscribed with the characters for KOKKOKAI, as a mark of product quality.