Joboji-nuri lacquerware is made in the Joboji-cho area of ​​Ninohe City, Iwate Prefecture, one of the nation’s leading lacquer production areas. Approximately 60% of Japan's 　domestic lacquer is made in Joboji. Characterized by the use of high-quality local lacquer, most Joboji-nuri lacquerware is made with a single color of black, vermilion, or red, with a subtle finish. The lacquer has also been used to restore important national cultural properties such as Kinkaku-ji Temple and Chuson-ji Temple's Golden Hall. It takes more than 10 years to grow a lacquer tree and harvest just enough lacquer to fill one milk bottle.

After the war, Joboji lacquerware rapidly fell out of use due to the spread of cheap synthetic resins and imported lacquerware. In 1975, however, the Iwate Prefectural Industrial Research Institute, together with local lacquer tappers and artisans, revived Joboji lacquerware, and in 1985 it was designated a national traditional craft.