柴田是真は幕末明治に漆工、絵画の作家として活躍しました。
幼少期より初代古満寛哉の下で蒔絵を習い、谷文晁や四条派の絵師鈴木南嶺、岡本豊彦に絵を学びました。
一派を築き1890年には帝室技芸員に任命されました。
高い技術と洒脱さや遊び心のある作風は海外でも高く評価されています。

はいばらの三代目榛原（中村）直次郎とは懇意の仲で内外の博覧会出品や皇居新宮殿の御用、龍池会発会等を共にし、その親しい間柄は「是真といえばはいばら」といわれるほどに有名であったと伝えられています。
現在もはいばらには是真デザインの製品が多く受け継がれています。

Shibata Zeshin was a Japanese artist from the late Edo to early Meiji period, who was renowned for both his maki-e lacquer work and his paintings.
Zeshin studied maki-e under Koma Kansai and painting under several artists including Tani Buncho, Suzuki Nanrei, and Okamoto Toyohiko.
His high quality craftmanship and sophisticated style were highly evaluated at home and abroad.
In 1890, he became one of the first people to be selected as an Imperial Household Artist.
Zeshin was intimate with Haibara’ s third-generation owner Naojiro, and they worked together on several occasions including the participation of domestic and international expositions, interior finish work of the Meiji Imperial Palace, and the organization of the art society “Ryuchi-kai” .
Still today, Haibara’ s library preserves various artworks by Zeshin.