New Demon Slayer watches featuring 400-year-old Kanazawa foil art

Ueni Trading Co., Ltd. has announced the release of three new mechanical watches that merge the global pop culture phenomenon of the anime “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” with the traditional Japanese craft of Kanazawa-haku. The watches, released under the company’s character collaboration brand GARRACK, feature handcrafted dials made by artisans from Kanazawa, a city renowned for its metal leaf production.

The new collection showcases models inspired by three characters from the series: Sanemi Shinazugawa, Obanai Iguro and Gyomei Himejima. Each watch is a made-in-Japan product, from its automatic movement to its final assembly. The company describes the watches as “a masterpiece that could be called a work of art,” with each dial individually finished by skilled artisans.

The defining feature of these timepieces is the use of Kanazawa-haku, or Kanazawa foil, a craft with a history of over 400 years, famously used to decorate Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto. The process involves hammering metal to a thickness of approximately 0.1 micrometres, which artisans then meticulously colour by hand. As everything is done by hand, each product has a unique character.

This collaboration provides a modern application for a heritage skill, creating a valuable economic channel for artisans and helping to preserve their craft. By integrating this traditional art form into merchandise for a globally popular anime, it supports the local economy of Kanazawa and promotes a form of cultural sustainability, ensuring that traditional techniques remain relevant in a contemporary market.

The watches incorporate design elements unique to each character. For instance, the Sanemi Shinazugawa and Obanai Iguro models feature a rotating disc at the six o’clock position designed after their sword guards. The Gyomei Himejima model’s disc is inspired by the pattern of his haori coat. All three models are built with a stainless steel case, calf leather strap and a see-through case back that reveals the Japanese mechanical movement.