1803

Nishimura Hikobei III
Took over Zoge-ya
Took over Zoge-ya. He was known as the master craftsman of maki-e. With the achievement of being appointed as a purveyor for a long time, the Imperial Court bestowed him the title “Maki-e-tsukasa” (master of maki-e). He offered his maki-e panel “Fugen Bodhisattva on a white elephant” to his family temple. People admired its beauty and called it the “Zohiko panel”, referring to “Zo” from “Zoge-ya” and “Hiko” from “Hikobei; this is the origin of store name, Zohiko.