SEIKO PRESAGE Seeking the Origins of Presage Craftsmanship in Ibaraki

Seiko Presage brings time-honored craftsmanship and a uniquely Japanese aesthetic to the world through its watches. Join us on a journey to Ibaraki. We’ll explore the land, the culture, and the traditional master craftsmanship behind this distinctive timepiece with an enamel dial.

Seiko Presage
Craftsmanship Series
Enamel Dial

Uniquely Japanese –
Transcending time and place

Enamel has a texture that captures a feeling of warmth from its unique soft sheen and an appearance that retains its beautiful color for a very long time.

The Seiko Presage Enamel Dial model was created by a master craftsman in collaboration with the precision manufacturing of Seiko’s engineers. Year after year, watches with this beautiful dial continue to delight the eyes of everyone who has one.

An artistic technology, blending science with nature

An artistic technology, blending science with nature

Enamel has a long and illustrious history. The oldest examples have been found around the Aegean Sea, dating from the 15th century BC. First introduced to Japan around the 7th century, it was used on swords and precious artifacts. As Japan modernized, enamel became widely used for household goods like kitchenware, and soon it was used for many things, including bathtubs, building materials, and medical devices.

Much as San Francisco benefits from its proximity to Silicon Valley and the Napa Valley, Tokyo also prospers by being adjacent to Ibaraki, a global hub for high tech and innovation that is also blessed with a pristine natural landscape. The artisans who make the Seiko Presage enamel dial are proudly inspired by Ibaraki prefecture’s abundance of natural splendor, its modern industry, and its legacy in Japan’s history. Join us as we explore the many beautiful and fascinating aspects of Ibaraki.

The last sweet years of the Edo period

During the Edo period, from the early 17th century to late 19th century, the northern part of Ibaraki Prefecture was known as the Mito domain and was governed by the powerful Tokugawa clan. At its peak, under the young and ambitious lord Nariaki Tokugawa, the area flourished. In 1841, Nariaki founded the Kodokan, one of the most renowned learning centers of the feudal era. There, Mito samurai and Nariaki’s children studied not only martial arts and military strategy but also Confucianism, in addition to astronomy, mathematics, and other ennobling sciences. The Kodokan’s architecture, directed by Nariaki himself and influenced by the spirit of Zen, remains a pure wonder of simplicity and tradition. Mito samurai young and old from all over the region came for their higher education. One can easily picture them sitting on the fine tatami mats, delicately embroidered with the Tokugawa clan family crest of the three-leaf hollyhock.

A year after the Kodokan was built, Nariaki Tokugawa founded Kairakuen Garden, one of the three most famous gardens in all of Japan. A majestic bamboo grove greets visitors passing through the front gate, calming and relaxing them. Beyond the grove, visitors encounter the seasonal beauties of nature, including azaleas, bush clovers, and autumn leaves. Known for its 3,000 plum trees made up of 100 varieties, the garden is a very popular attraction every spring. In its southeast corner is the Kobuntei, a three-story residence where Lord Nariaki entertained guests with poetry and art. With a view of Lake Senba and a garden of seasonally changing colors, it is easy for anyone who visits the garden today to imagine Nariaki’s hospitality.

The magical hobiki boats
could be out of a fairy tale

In the south of Ibaraki Prefecture lies Kasumigaura, the second-largest lake in Japan. During the Meiji era, from 1868 until 1912, its fresh water abounded with Japanese smelt (wakasagi) and ice fish (shirauo), which became extremely popular when boiled in soy sauce and preserved with canning, a new technology at that time. We can still spot a few hobikisen, traditional fishing boats unique to this lake, which have become a tourist attraction, a last vestige of the time when hundreds paced up and down the water. These days, the splendid fishing crafts can be viewed from tour boats or the waterfront on weekends from summer to autumn. They catch the Kasumigaura seasonal winds with their tremendous cotton cloth sails, propelling them sideways and pulling their nets from the side, a unique fishing technique.
Along the 180 km of the Tsukuba-Kasumigaura Ring Ring Road are a fantastic range of cycling paths. They range from the 25 km beginner hill climb at the foot of Mount Tsukuba to more challenging circuit courses around lake Kasumigaura. This new infrastructure in Ibaraki will surely become a paradise for cyclists.

The Hitachi Seaside Park is a unique oasis on the Pacific coast of Ibaraki. Its three hundred fifty hectares used to be salt marshes but are today host to a myriad of flowers, including nemophila, narcissus, tulips, roses, and cosmos. The transition from summer into autumn is spectacular on the main hill, where the kochia cypress turn from lime green in August into cherry red in October. While walking up the slope surrounded by thousands of those firebushes, it is enchanting to feel that you could get lost in this mysterious space. At the top, a breathtaking view of the ocean beyond the vast park seems to hint at a message of hope.

Dare to enter the land of the Dragon King

Ryujin Big Suspension Bridge seems to float amid the morning mist, overlooking the Ryujin River’s sweeping meanders that evoke the tail of a dragon. The four main pillars of the bridge rise into the sky, conjuring the many scales of a dragon’s long neck. Built over the gorge, the pedestrian bridge offers a breathtaking view of the nearby countryside, the Okukuji Prefectural Natural Park. The bridge is a gateway to some deep hiking trails and the platform of the most famous bungee jump in Japan. The stunning scenery is one of the best-kept secrets of Ibaraki, destined to be a favorite for many years to come.

Deeper into the mountains

One seldom sees such a miraculous testimony of our earth’s history. The waterfall was formed by a massive four-layered bedrock due to undersea volcanic eruptions and tectonic movements about 15 million years ago. At over one hundred twenty meters high and seventy-three meters wide, Fukuroda Falls is one of the most gorgeous waterfalls in Japan. Its sound is astounding and the view spectacular. Though magnificent in all seasons, it is especially so during a cold winter, when its delicate waters are transformed into an intricate ice sculpture.
Soothing waters

Engulfed in the forest on the way to the Fukuroda Falls is the hot spring village of Fukuroda. A cluster of old-timey Japanese sweets and drinks shops and an homage to the slow life, it is a place for restoring one’s health. The Japanese have the word touji, which succinctly encapsulates the therapeutic benefits of bathing in hot natural spring water. Since ancient times, mountain thermal spas have imparted acclaimed cures and remedies for travelers of all types. Lay back and breathe in the scent of hinoki cypress from the Okukuji hills while soaking in a wonderful traditional bath. Afterwards, rest on a tatami mat while sipping a glass of sake.

Make and taste your own soba

Few dishes embody typical Japanese food as well as soba, buckwheat noodles, a favorite in all seasons. Ibaraki is home to the exquisite Hitachi Aki Soba, a contender for the title of best soba in Japan. It is a fragrant soba with a distinctive sweetness and rich aroma. In the heart of the mountains, a small restaurant welcomes visitors for a rare initiation into soba making. Start by mixing buckwheat flour into dough using the nearby spring water and then use traditional utensils to flatten, stretch, and cut the noodles to perfection before finally boiling them and tasting them for yourself.

A traditional bond to soybeans

Nothing beats the organic breakfast experience of natto (sticky fermented soybeans), one of the traditional specialties of Ibaraki. Legend has it, in the Kamakura era, about 800 years ago, natto occurred by accident after moldy rice straw was mixed with boiled soybean cattle feed. Mito, a soybean growing area, has been famous for its natto for a long time. In 1889, the opening of the Mito railway brought visitors from Tokyo to the Kairakuen Garden. Those early tourists took home natto as a souvenir and, through word of mouth, Mito became the natto capital of Japan. Today, you can enjoy old-fashioned hand-made natto wrapped in straw!

The simple meal of local fishermen becomes a gourmet dish

Going by looks, the monkfish could easily be an evil character in a manga comic, yet it is a famous delicacy of Japanese cuisine and has been Ibaraki’s winter specialty for hundreds of years. When skillfully prepared, monkfish is entirely edible except for the bones. The al dente white meat is full of protein, the skin and intestines are rich in collagen and vitamins, and monkfish soup (made with either miso paste or soy sauce and plenty of vegetables) is full of healthy fiber. The liver, or ankimo, often called “sea foie-gras”, is particularly popular with foreigners, though it is becoming a rare and luxurious delicacy in Japan as well.

Ibaraki is one of the main sweet potato growing areas in Japan. Delicious and extremely nutritious, satsumaimo has a mild, sweet, earthy taste when eaten cold, and a tantalizing gooey texture when freshly baked. In Tsukuba, you can find old-fashioned baking huts using natural wood-fired ovens. One can purchase a yaki imo, or baked sweet potato, at a very reasonable price. Enjoy its rich yellow essence while breathing in the steam from its flesh.

Ibaraki leads the world with Japan’s very own science park

Ibaraki’s Tsukuba Science City is an hour from Tokyo by train. The science and technology park, which has continued to be developed since 1968, has become the home of cutting-edge scientific education and training in Japan. It is at the forefront of robotics and the home to the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center and its Space Dome, an exhibition hall where visitors can see models of the International Space Station, rockets, and satellites. Thanks to Tsukuba, Ibaraki is both futuristic and historical. With its universities, diverse industries, and relative proximity to Narita International Airport, Tsukuba is a gateway to the world.

Evolving and refined beauty

Mitsuru Yokosawa, Enamel Master Craftsman

For more than fifty years, veteran craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa has been passionate about his high-quality technique. He began working with enamel in 1971, when he joined Fuji Porcelain Enamel Co., Ltd. In a feat closely resembling magic, Mr. Yokosawa and his most trusted apprentices are able to apply enamel to a component as delicately crafted as a Seiko watch dial.

“Enamel dials have existed since the first Seiko wristwatch, the Laurel of 1913, and I have been working with the Presage watch that follows in this heritage,” says Yokosawa. “The layers of enamel I can apply are getting thinner and thinner. I must adjust the spray by applying just the slightest pressure from my fingertips to shift the composition ratio of the enamel glaze. It seems to me the challenge never gets easier. The glaze is highly susceptible to changes in ambient temperature and humidity; therefore, the process not only requires harmony between the brain, eyes, and hands, but sensibility to the surroundings and a whole lot of experience.”

“To attain such a level of concentration you almost need to levitate.” Yokosawa continues, grinning. "I am enthusiastically working on teaching younger generations in order to pass on this technique" he adds. “There is such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when I see the final product in my hands or when I think that this beautifully crafted watch might travel across the world to special customers, who value it so much as to hand it from one generation to another.”

Because the glaze is highly susceptible to shifts in ambient temperature and humidity, Mr. Yokosawa changes the composition according to the weather conditions.
Summer days can be especially challenging, technically and physically speaking. Changes in the application process can result in differences in the finished product. A knowledgeable craftsman’s experienced hand is essential.
After spraying the enamel glaze onto the dial surface, it is delicately dried.

The enamel–coated dial is then fired in a kiln–with the time and temperature of firing calibrated, again, in accordance with the weather. Years of data guide the artisan. In this step, the glass compounds in the glaze are melted down to develop the enamel’s characteristic soft and beautiful texture.
The kiln-fired enamel has a yellowish tone but will reveal its true white glow after cooling down.

After firing, the enamel–coated dial undergoes a thorough examination to ensure that the enamel has been uniformly applied and is free of any pinhole imperfections. Even the tiniest speck of dust could endanger the overall quality, leaving no room for mistake.

More than 100 years of perfection

The Seiko Laurel of 1913 was the first wristwatch made in Japan. A limited edition of 2,500 Seiko Presage Enamel Dial watches, designed as an homage to the original Laurel, will be released in celebration of the 110th anniversary of its inauguration. In an ever-changing world, this watch embodies the unwavering Seiko spirit of being at the forefront of Japanese watchmaking and master craftsmanship. This dial-making process and the resulting special art piece will live on for more than another 100 years.

Did you enjoy our journey through Ibaraki, from the ancient past to the futuristic present? We hope you delighted in the hidden splendor of Japan revealed on this virtual tour. It evokes the passion, dedication, and culture that gave rise to the Seiko Presage Enamel Dial model. Meanwhile, our voyage of discovery in Seiko Presage craftsmanship continues. We look forward to having you join us once again in the next installment.