Japan’s First Luxury Startup? Inside a Cloisonné Showroom, 1878

A richly furnished showroom in 1878 Japan tells the story of a craft becoming an international luxury. Japanese cloisonné enamel combined intricate metalwork, colour and changing commercial ambitions. In this Meiji-era interior, foreign visitors and gleaming vessels share the stage. Look closer at the objects and people to uncover the connections between workshop innovation, global trade and Japanese design.