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Sake laquerware

Beautiful Japanese Lacquerware

Lacquerware is made by coating and recoating materials like bamboo and wood with the sap of the lacquer tree, a tall deciduous tree in the cashew family. Lacquer is the material of a traditional Japanese craft that is centuries old. Lacquer is known to have as much protective strength as paint, and when made properly is resistant to alkali, acid, and friction. It is lightweight and durable, and lacquering is a favorite technique for coating most Japanese everyday things.

Japanese Fubako Lacquerware

Japanese Fubako Lacquerware.

Japanese lacquerware has been a form of decorative and fine art in Japan for centuries. Lacquer has been used in prints, paintings, and a wide variety of objects, from religious statues to everyday bento boxes.  It has been an iconic symbol of Japanese arts and creativity.

Lacquerware is referred to in Japan by a number of terms.  Shikki (漆器), lacquer ware in Japanese, is the most literal. Other terms are nurimono (塗物) which means “coated things,” and urushi-nuri (漆塗), meaning “lacquer coating.” The sap of the lacquer tree is poisonous to the touch until it dries, and the creation of lacquerware is practiced only by well trained and dedicated artisans.

Lacquer can be traced as far back as 7,000 BCE during the  Jōmon period. Evidence of this was discovered at the Kakinoshima “B” Excavation Site in Minamikayabe Town (北海道の南茅部町の垣ノ島B遺跡) in Hokkaido.  Many Japanese traditional arts and crafts as well as industrial arts produced throughout history were influenced by the Chinese. Local stylistic influences were slowly adapted through the centuries. During the Edo period (1603-1868) lacquer trees were widely cultivated for the development of the technique in lacquerware making. By the 18th century, colored lacquers came into mainstream use.

Laquerware for sale

Lacquerware for sale.

Today, production of lacquerware is prolific all around Japan, but Echizen lacquerware, with its long history, stands out particularly. As the story goes, during the sixth century, a lacquerware crown decorated with gold and silver that belonged to a prince of the Yamato Dynasty (today’s Nara Prefecture) was broken. It is said the aids of the prince sought far and wide for a craftsman  skilled enough to repair the crown. Finally such a craftsman was found in the area known today as Sabae City’s Kawada in Fukui Prefecture. The mountains of Kawada even at the time had lacquer trees growing naturally in the area and lacquer was already being produced. Kawada today still has hundreds of lacquerware craftsmen and is known as the home of lacquerware.

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