Takao Morita

森田孝雄

もりた　たかお

tortoiseshell work

This technique uses the shell of the hawksbill sea turtle as its material. The craft was already practiced during the Nara period and has been used in Shōsōin treasures such as walking sticks, swords, and biwa instruments. During the Edo period, it was employed to create hairpins and combs. Today, the technique is primarily used for eyeglass frames, pendants, and other jewelry.

About the Craftsman

Mr. Takao is the sixth-generation artisan who mastered the craft under his father, Mr. Masashi (a former holder of the ward’s designated intangible cultural property). He creates accessories and eyewear. The Morita family has passed down the Edo-style tortoiseshell craftsmanship techniques in Higashi-Ogu for over 200 years, spanning generations.
His expertise is so refined that he was entrusted with processing the turtle shells used in the “Saida Tenjō no Gi” ceremony during Emperor Reiwa’s accession. This ritual involves divination using turtle shells (“kiboku”) to determine the harvest site for rice to be offered before the gods, requiring the shells to be thinned to an extreme degree. He also participated in the restoration of the National Treasure “Purple Sandalwood Five-Stringed Biwa with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay” housed in the Shōsōin Repository.