Urushi Wajima

About the Urushi Wajima

The Koetsu Urushi Wajima is a premium moving coil phono cartridge handcrafted with a rosewood body coated in the highly prized Wajima school of Urushi lacquer, which includes gold flakes applied using traditional chinkin (gold inlay) and maki-e (gold powder) techniques. This finish is the most expensive and difficult to produce among the Urushi series. The cartridge features silverplated copper coil wiring, a samarium-cobalt magnet, and a boron cantilever, combining to produce Koetsu's legendary tonal richness, balanced harmonics, and lush midrange with an organic and ultra-precise sound signature. It outputs 0.4 mV and covers a frequency range from 20 Hz to 100 kHz. The cartridge weighs approximately 9 grams and has a compliance of 5 x 10^-6 cm/dyne at 100 Hz. Recommended tracking force is between 1.8 and 2.0 grams, with a recommended load impedance of 30 to 500 ohms. The Urushi Wajima is handmade to order and typically ships within 3-4 weeks, reflecting the artisanal craftsmanship and use of precious materials that make it a musical masterpiece and a work of art in itself.