Shokado Bento 松花堂弁当

Official explanation

The item most strongly associated with Shokado Shojo in modern Japan is “Shokado Bento,” a square meal box divided into four equal sections. Shojo was in the habit of converting wooden boxes that farmers used to carry seeds into containers for his paints and tools. To make the boxes more attractive, he added a light coat of lacquer and ink paintings with nature themes.

The idea of using this type of box to serve food was born in 1933, when the founder of the famous Japanese cuisine restaurant Kitcho attended a tea function in Yawata. He was inspired by a lacquered box in the style favored by Shojo and decided to adapt it for his restaurant, giving it the name “Shokado Bento.” The Yawata branch of the restaurant, Kyoto Kitcho Shokado, is located next to the Shokado Art Museum and serves fine Japanese cuisine in this distinctive style of bento box.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.