Before the war, lacquer and lacquerware were actively produced in the Owari region. As times changed, however, many of the lacquer makers went out of business or switched to making Buddhist altars and Buddhist accessories. By the postwar period, only a few people were still involved in lacquer production.

Owari lacquerware is characterized by the use of a technique called "kawari-nuri” (scabbard coating). This name originates from the fact that during the Edo period, Owari Domain, a city of samurai, manufactured scabbards for swords. While lacquerware is usually finished with a beautiful mirror polish, Owari lacquerware is finished with a rugged, rough texture.