Nikko has won the Sustainability category at the 2025 Tableware International Awards of Excellence. Judges complimented Suzuhaku’s “innovative and creative design”.
The collection is part of Nikko’s Material waves series. It is a collaboration between Nikko Fine Bone China and tin made by Nousaku Corporation, a cast metal manufacturer in Takaoka City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan.
The name Suzuhaku is a combination of the characteristic whitenessof Nikko’s bone china and the Japanese sound “haku” meaning “foil” used for the edge finish, and the Japanese sound “suzu” meaning “tin”.
The tin on the rim of Suzuhaku is coated with gold, copper, and tin foil. This foil processing is handled by Hakuichi, a company headquartered in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture. The edge of the tin material, which is very soft despite being a metal, may be deformed by impact, but such changes over time can be enjoyed for many years as part of the charm of tinware.
Suzuhaku is a product that took about three years from conception to completion after repeated prototyping.
Wataru Sakuma of the Nikko Design Office, who was in charge of the development, said; “Ceramics, which are pottery, are not all exactly the same. It was difficult to create an even and beautiful finish, taking into account the slight differences between the individual pieces”.
By crossing different materials to create new products and continuously disseminating them, Nikko aims to transcend the boundaries between crafts and industrial products, and to preserve the handiwork and traditions of industries and craftspeople throughout Japan.
