Shokado Bento

The Shokado bento box has a specific origin: in 1933, the founder of the famed Kitcho restaurant attended a tea ceremony in Yawata and was struck by a lacquered seed-storage box favored by the calligrapher and artist Shokado Shojo. He adapted the four-compartment design for his restaurant, naming it after Shojo. Today, the Kyoto Kitcho Shokado restaurant stands next to the Shokado Art Museum and still serves kaiseki cuisine in this format: four equal square sections holding different preparations, each in its own space. The box's clean geometry and lacquered finish remain closely associated with refined Kyoto dining.