Koetsu's Urushi generator in a rosewood body finished in black urushi lacquer.
The Urushi Black is part of Koetsu's Urushi family. Urushi is a traditional Japanese lacquer made from the sap of the urushi tree and applied by hand by skilled artisans. As it cures it hardens around the rosewood body and changes the body's resonant behavior, and Koetsu notes that many listeners find the Urushi models more lively and exciting than the plain Rosewood cartridges. Every Urushi uses silver-clad, ultra-high-purity copper coils, a Permendur magnet assembly and a boron cantilever. The Urushi models are built alike and differ in the lacquer finish that gives each its name; this one is black. Koetsu was founded by Yoshiaki Sugano and carried on by his son Fumihiko; after Fumihiko's death in 2023 the brand was revived in 2025, with the original craftsmen and suppliers again building the cartridges by hand in Japan.
The Urushi Black hasn't been reviewed on its own, but its closest relatives have. Stereophile's 2026 look at the revived Koetsu line found the lower-output Urushi Vermillion transparent, fast and immersive, and HiFi News heard the classic Koetsu warmth and body in the midrange and bass with a wide-open presentation. At 0.4 mV and 9.37 g, the Urushi Black works well in a medium-mass tonearm with a quiet MC phono stage of about 60 dB gain or more, or a step-up transformer. Start with a load of around 100 Ω and adjust by ear within Koetsu's 75–500 Ω range.
| Type | Low-output moving coil (MC) |
| Output | 0.4 mV |
| Recommended load | 75–500 Ω |
| Tracking force | 1.8–2.0 g |
| Weight | 9.37 g |
| Body | Rosewood, black urushi lacquer |
| Coils | Silver-plated high-purity copper |
| Magnet | Permendur |
| Cantilever | Boron |
| Also available | Urushi Tsugaru and Wajima share this generator; Urushi Vermillion (0.2 mV) uses a different coil |
Pearl Audio is an authorized Koetsu dealer. Call or visit our Portland showroom to talk about matching a cartridge to your tonearm and phono stage.
