Ando Cloisonné Company
A Nagoya-based Japanese maker and promoter of Owari Shippo cloisonné, with a history spanning traditional enamelware, imperial commissions, cultural gifts, and contemporary design collaborations.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Ando Cloisonné Company, also known in Japanese as Andō Shipōyaki or Andō Shippo, is a Japanese cloisonné maker based in Sakae, central Nagoya. It belongs to the Owari Shippo tradition, one of Japan’s most important enamel-producing traditions, and is associated with the transformation of highly specialized decorative craft into products suitable for domestic commerce, international exhibitions, official presentation, and collecting. The company’s work is characterized by enamel fused onto a metal body, often with wires used to divide the design into cells before the colored enamel is fired. The business is connected with the Andō family and with Andō Jubei, also known as Jusaburō, who was born in Nagoya in 1876. The family’s earlier commercial background included a pipe shop called Murata-ya. Jubei was orphaned as an infant and was raised by employees in accordance with his father’s wishes. His older sister married Andō Juzaemon, whose original name was Matsukichi. Jubei and Juzaemon worked together in developing the cloisonné enterprise. The company’s international orientation was shaped by visits to major overseas exhibitions. Juzaemon traveled to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 to investigate the foreign market. Jubei later traveled to the Glasgow International Exhibition in 1901 and spent approximately two years in a British household while studying commercial opportunities. These experiences coincided with strong Western interest in Japanese enamelware, particularly around the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. A major artistic development followed the return of the company’s principals to Japan, when Kawade Shibatarō was invited to lead the studio. Kawade was an important cloisonné artist who advanced techniques including plique-à-jour and raised enamel decoration. By 1918, at least 50 cloisonné artists were reportedly working for or with the company. Ando pieces were used as state gifts, and the company received an Imperial Warrant of Appointment to the Japanese court. Its historic work is represented in the collections of institutions including the Walters Art Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Ando’s present identity extends beyond historical vessels and ornamental objects. Its main Sakae store includes a small museum displaying works connected with Ando artisans and designers, as well as pieces by other major Japanese enamel artists such as Namikawa Sōsuke. The company has also applied its craft to contemporary industrial design. It collaborated with Grand Seiko on cloisonné watch dials in 2008 and produced dials for Seiko’s 110th Anniversary limited-edition Presage watches in 2018. Other work has involved Japanese and international designers, Toyota, restoration projects at Nagoya Castle’s Honmaru Palace, and ornamentation for the Kyoto State Guest House. In 2025, the company was selected for the second edition of the Craft x Tech initiative, which explores the reinterpretation of Japanese craft through contemporary technology and design. Public information does not securely establish the company’s present ownership, legal structure, revenue, listing status, or precise current operating scale. It is therefore best understood as a surviving traditional craft company whose historical reputation rests on Owari cloisonné and whose contemporary relevance comes from museum activity, preservation work, commissions, and collaborations with watchmakers, designers, manufacturers, and cultural institutions.
History
Ando Cloisonné Company is a Nagoya-based maker of Owari Shippo, the regional Japanese cloisonné tradition associated with the former Owari Province. Its work uses enamel fused to metal bodies and encompasses wired, wireless, raised, translucent, and other specialized forms of decoration. The company is one of the few traditional Japanese cloisonné businesses that continued into the contemporary period. The Andō family’s earlier business was a pipe shop known as Murata-ya. Andō Jubei, also called Jusaburō, was born in Nagoya in 1876. His parents died in 1877, leaving him orphaned before he was one year old. He was raised by employees under the terms of his father’s will. Jubei’s older sister later married Andō Juzaemon, whose birth name was Matsukichi. The two men became central to the development of the cloisonné company, which is generally associated with an establishment date of 1880. The company developed during a period when Japanese enamelware attracted increasing attention in Europe and North America. In 1893, Andō Juzaemon visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The trip served both as an introduction to overseas commerce and as an opportunity to study the market for Japanese decorative goods. In 1901, Jubei traveled to the Glasgow International Exhibition and remained abroad for about two years, living in a British household while investigating foreign demand and commercial conditions. The company’s growth coincided with the international popularity of Japanese enamelwork around the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1900. After the principals returned to Japan, Kawade Shibatarō was invited to head the studio. Kawade contributed to the development of advanced techniques, especially plique-à-jour and raised cloisonné. His work and the work of the studio helped connect the company with the high-art and courtly dimensions of Japanese enamel production. By 1918, at least 50 artists were reported to be working there. The company received an Imperial Warrant of Appointment to the Japanese court, and Ando cloisonné was used for state gifts. One documented recipient was Zheng Xiaoxu, a prime minister of Manchukuo, who received a vase accompanied by calligraphy praising the object. These associations placed the company within Japan’s system of prestigious craft production and diplomatic presentation. Ando’s historical output includes decorative vessels and other ornamental objects made using multiple cloisonné methods. Musen shippō is wireless cloisonné, in which enamel is applied while the wire is removed before firing. Yūsen shippō uses visible wire, commonly silver wire, to separate the enamel fields. Moriage shippō builds enamel above the wire lines. Tōtai shippō and shōtai shippō use translucent effects that can resemble stained glass, with the latter involving removal of the metal body. Other categories include hammered or raised-body techniques, double-glazed enamel, copper-body enamel, silver-body enamel, and transparent, translucent, or opaque finishes. The company maintains a main store in Sakae with a small museum. The museum contains pieces by Ando artisans and designers and also presents work by other notable enamel artists, including Namikawa Sōsuke. Ando objects are held in the Walters Art Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, reflecting the international collecting history of Japanese cloisonné. In the contemporary period, Ando has used collaborations to place traditional enamelwork in new product contexts. In 2008 it worked with Grand Seiko on cloisonné watch dials. In 2018 it made dials for Seiko’s 110th Anniversary limited-edition Presage watches. The company has also worked with designers including Hella Jongerius and Philippe Malouin, collaborated with Toyota, and contributed to the restoration of Nagoya Castle’s Honmaru Palace. It has additionally worked on ornamentation for the Kyoto State Guest House. In 2025 it was selected for the second Craft x Tech initiative, a program examining how Japanese craft aesthetics can be reinterpreted through technology and contemporary design. Reliable public material does not provide a complete account of the company’s ownership, legal structure, successive management, revenues, or present trading status. Those aspects remain unresolved.
- 2025
Craft x Tech selection
[1]The company was selected for the second edition of Craft x Tech, a program exploring technology-led reinterpretations of Japanese craft.
- 2018
Seiko Presage anniversary dials
[1]Ando made cloisonné dials for Seiko’s 110th Anniversary limited-edition Presage watches.
- 2008
Grand Seiko cloisonné dial collaboration
[1]Ando collaborated with Grand Seiko to produce cloisonné watch dials.
- 1918
Large studio workforce documented
[1]At least 50 cloisonné artists were reported to be working at the company, illustrating the scale of its historical production network.
- 1901
Jubei’s Glasgow and British market study
[1]Andō Jubei traveled to the Glasgow International Exhibition and spent about two years in Britain studying the foreign market.
- 1900
International visibility during the Paris Exposition period
[1]Japanese enamelwork experienced strong Western interest around the Paris Exposition Universelle, creating an important international context for Ando’s development.
- 1893
Chicago market research visit
[1]Andō Juzaemon traveled to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago and used the visit to study overseas demand and commercial opportunities.
- 1880
Company establishment
[1]Ando Cloisonné Company is generally associated with an 1880 establishment in Nagoya and with the Andō family’s development of an Owari Shippo business.
Products and positioning
Japanese traditional craft and high-end decorative cloisonné, combining Owari enamel techniques with cultural commissions and contemporary design applications.
Traditional decorative craft
Owari Shippo cloisonné enamelware
The company’s core offering is Owari Shippo, a Japanese cloisonné tradition in which enamel is fused onto a metal body. Products historically include vessels and ornamental objects, with designs formed through visible or removed wires, layered enamel, and repeated firing. Depending on the technique, the finished surface may be opaque, translucent, transparent, raised, or stained-glass-like. The category represents both Ando’s historic identity and its continuing craft practice.
Specialist enamel technique
Plique-à-jour and translucent cloisonné
Ando’s studio history is associated with advanced translucent techniques developed under the leadership of Kawade Shibatarō. Plique-à-jour and related forms allow enamel to transmit light, producing an effect comparable to stained glass. These techniques are part of the company’s artistic and historical significance rather than a separately documented mass-market product line.
Precision watch component · 2008
Cloisonné watch dials
Ando has applied its enamel expertise to watch dials through collaborations with Grand Seiko and Seiko. These dials place a labor-intensive traditional surface technique within a precision product, combining fine enamel color and wirework with the dimensional and manufacturing requirements of mechanical wristwatches. Publicly documented examples include Grand Seiko work from 2008 and Seiko Presage anniversary models from 2018.
Cultural and architectural commission
Architectural and heritage ornamentation
Beyond portable objects, Ando has worked on decorative and preservation-related commissions. Documented examples include restoration work connected with Nagoya Castle’s Honmaru Palace and ornamentation for the Kyoto State Guest House. These projects demonstrate the use of cloisonné and related decorative expertise in architectural, institutional, and heritage settings.
Marketing campaigns
- 2025Craft x Tech
Japan · International design and craft community
Ando Cloisonné was selected for the second edition of Craft x Tech, an initiative examining how Japanese craft aesthetics and techniques can be reimagined through contemporary technology and design.
Outcome. Selection positioned the company within a contemporary craft-and-technology program; specific resulting products or commercial outcomes were not identified in the available material.
Brand decisions
2025
Participate in Craft x TechStrategyBackground
The Craft x Tech initiative explores the relationship between Japanese craft aesthetics, technical innovation, and contemporary creative practice.
Action taken
Ando was selected to participate in the initiative’s second edition.
Aftermath
The selection highlighted the company’s role in adapting traditional cloisonné knowledge for new design contexts, although specific deliverables were not stated.
2018
Produce Seiko Presage 110th Anniversary dialsProduct launchBackground
Seiko used artisanal materials and techniques for limited-edition Presage watches commemorating its 110th anniversary.
Action taken
Ando made the cloisonné dials for the limited-edition anniversary models.
Aftermath
The commission further linked Ando’s traditional enamelwork with contemporary luxury watch design.
2008
Enter the Grand Seiko cloisonné dial collaborationProduct launchBackground
The collaboration connected a traditional enamel specialist with a high-end precision watchmaker.
Action taken
Ando produced cloisonné watch dials for Grand Seiko.
Aftermath
The project established a documented contemporary application of Ando’s craft beyond conventional vessels and ornamental objects.
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