Tajimi City spreads along the southern side of Gifu Prefecture in central Japan. Its soil contains clay rich in minerals suitable for ceramic production. A pottery industry emerged in Tajimi 1300 years ago, and out of that history came Mino Ware, which is regarded as one of Japan’s most distinctive and influential potteries.
Evolving from this historical backdrop, large-scale tile manufacturing began in the early twentieth century. Since then, Tajimi has grown into the centre of tile-making in Japan, accounting for around 90% of production. 
The majority of local companies specialise in high-volume production of standard tiles. However, there remain a number of smaller, highly-specialised manufacturers which use both alternative production methods and traditional Japanese glazing and firing, in a combination rarely seen elsewhere.
Tajimi Custom Tiles works with the most skilled craftspeople, using a range of raw materials, production and firing methods. This allows us to make almost any kind of tile, whatever form, size, glaze, texture or colour.

TAJIMI CUSTOM TILES was launched by X’S Corporation under the creative direction of David Glaettli. It is the company’s platform from which to create unique, innovative tiles from customer designs, specifically for international architects and interior designers.

X’S was founded in 1994 by its CEO Masashi Kasai, who strongly believes tiles made in Tajimi have huge market potential. X’S operates globally, and unlike other trading companies, it has its own in-house laboratory facilities where tile prototypes can be developed and tested. This allows X’S to offer competitive pricing, and products in small quantities.
In combination with a network of local manufacturers, the company’s in-house laboratories create a unique manufacturing environment with short lead times, stable supplies and high-quality output.
X’S has also taken the initiative to enhance environmental sustainability by developing a system to recycle incineration slag into new tiles, thereby reducing

Our creative director, David Glaettli firmly believes that tiles have a special role in enhancing the quality of architectural spaces. He was born in Switzerland in 1977, and studied industrial design in Milan and Lausanne. Since 2008 he has been based in Japan.  Today, his company Glaettli Design Direction Ltd.  is based in Tokyo. David’s careful advice and skilful art direction are based on dispassionate questioning of all issues relating to design and manufacturing, support of local crafts and small industries, and the securing of international design talent to create innovative products. David is also creative director of the brands KARIMOKU NEW STANDARD and Sumida Contemporary, and design director for 2016/ Arita.