Takaoka Copperware Copper Dragon Ear Zui-cho Vase Traditional Art Craft Uniquely enhance your life with flowers. This Takaoka copperware vase, created by a traditional artisan with a sense of weight, can be used as a family treasure for generations to come. Takaoka copperware began in the early Edo period when the Kaga Maeda clan invited seven casters from Kawachi Tannan, the birthplace of casting, to open a casting factory. Takaoka copperware developed by creating "karakane casting," which involves applying carving to cast metal items such as vases and Buddhist altar fittings. In the Meiji era, it became known worldwide after being exhibited at the Paris World Exposition, and now accounts for 90% of the national production volume.