Tohoku Kogei Co., Ltd. was founded in Sendai in 1933 through a collaboration between the National Research Institute of Industrial Arts established by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the Tohoku Imperial University’s Research Institute for Iron, Steel and Other Metals. Since being granted the use of the Tamamushi lacquer patent in 1939, Tohoku Kogei has produced Tamamushi lacquerware as the traditional craft products that represent Sendai.