ABOUT LACQUERWARE

Artists & Artworks Emi Yabuchi

Description

Lacquerware is made by coating the surface of a material with the sap of the Japanese lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum). When the lacquer (urushi) hardens, it polymerizes and forms a protective surface that repels water and resists corrosion. Lacquer has been used on everyday tools and utensils in Japan since ancient times, and lacquerware bowls, chopsticks, trays, and meal boxes continue to be widely used today.
Lacquer was first used as an adhesive in prehistory, and later as a coating. Decorative objects painted with red lacquer have been found at Jomon archaeological sites that date back to 9,000 years ago.
Historically, lacquer has been used along with materials such as gold, silver, and shell to create lavishly decorated boxes, as well as musical instruments, sword scabbards, and armor. Today, in addition to everyday utensils like bowls and trays, lacquer continues to be used to create beautiful works of fine craft including decorative boxes and tea utensils such as tea caddies (natsume) and incense containers (kōgō) for use in the tea ceremony.

Artistic Techniques

Lacquering

Lacquering (kyūshitsu) is the art of applying lacquer to a substrate using spatulas or brushes. The technique includes a range of processes, from reinforcing the substrate with cloth to building up the foundation and applying the middle- and top-coats. The final coat can be left as is (nuritate), polished with charcoal to a high-gloss finish (roiro shiage), or given one of several hundred alternative (kawarinuri) finishes. Lacquer application is known for both its technical difficulty and richly expressive qualities.

photo Lacquering

Dry lacquer

For works of dry lacquer (kanshitsu), first a clay form is created and plaster is used to take a mold of the form. Next, repeated layers of hemp cloth and lacquer are applied to the mold until they are built up to the desired thickness. Finally, the mold is removed and additional coats of lacquer are applied to finish the piece. The hemp fibers are strengthened when the lacquer bonds with them, making dry lacquer an excellent technique for creating sturdy forms with a significant degree of freedom.

photo Dry lacquer

Lacquered bamboo

Bamboo is ideal for weaving various forms. The bamboo is split into thin strips, peeled, and coated with multiple layers of lacquer. Pieces of basketry made from lacquered bamboo (known as rantai) are lightweight and durable.

photo Lacquered bamboo

Maki-e

Maki-e (literally “sprinkled pictures”) is a representative lacquerware technique that originated in Japan around 1,200 years ago. Maki-e is done by painting lacquer motifs on the surface of a piece using a fine brush and then sprinkling gold powder onto the lacquer before it hardens, producing luxurious decorations.

photo <i>Maki-e</i>

Mother-of-pearl inlay (Raden)

Mother-of-pearl inlay (Raden) is a decorative technique that uses the iridescent inner layer of abalone shell, turban shell, pearl oyster shell, or other mollusk shells. The technique came to Japan from China 1,300 years ago, and pieces featuring mother-of-pearl inlay are included among the artifacts at the Shōsōin Repository in Nara.

photo Mother-of-pearl inlay (<i>Raden</i>)

Chinkin

For chinkin (“sunken gold”), a chisel or knife is used to incise lines and dots into a lacquered surface. Gold leaf or fine gold powder is then inlaid into the grooves, creating a fine and delicate design.

photo <i>Chinkin</i>

Kinma

There are three basic variations of kinma based on the method used for cutting the motifs: line cutting, dot cutting, and a combination of the two. All three types use a special carving blade known as a kinma ken. Originally, kinma only consisted of motifs made of incised lines. However, by combining a variety of colored lacquers and cutting techniques, the art has lent itself to increasingly complex designs.

photo <i>Kinma</i>

Carved lacquer

Carved lacquer (choshitsu) is made by first coating a piece in dozens of layers of colored lacquer. Then, a carving blade is used to cut into the lacquer and produce three-dimensional relief carvings.

photo Carved lacquer

Zonsei

In zonsei lacquerwork, the outlines of colored motifs are engraved to produce additional decorative effects. Typically, one of two techniques is used. In the first, the artisan applies the motifs in colored lacquer before using a carving tool called a zonsei ken to incise the outlines of the design or add decorative line engravings. In the second, the artisan creates motifs using the kinma technique, which are then outlined or engraved in the same fashion. Zonsei, like carved lacquer (chōshitsu) and kinma, is a technique associated primarily with Takamatsu in Kagawa prefecture.

photo <i>Zonsei</i>

Metal sheet inlay

Metal sheet inlay (hyōmon) is a technique that involves cutting shapes out of thin sheets of gold, silver, or other metals to create an inlay motif.

photo Metal sheet inlay

Eggshell inlay

Eggshell inlays (rankaku) are created by applying finely crushed eggshells to painted lacquer motifs. The eggshells make it possible to create vivid whites, a color that is difficult to reproduce with colored lacquer. Normally, the shells of quail eggs are used.

photo Eggshell inlay

Urushi-e

Urushi-e (“lacquer pictures”) is a decorative technique that consists of motifs painted in colored lacquer. Urushi-e is the oldest and most fundamental decorative lacquer technique.

photo <i>Urushi-e</i>

Kamakurabori

In Kamakurabori (“Kamakura carving”), raised designs are carved into wood and then coated with lacquer. The name refers to the city of Kamakura, but similar techniques are used throughout Japan.

photo <i>Kamakurabori</i>
Reference: Nihon Kōgeikai Higashi Nihon Shibu (Japan Kōgei Association Eastern Branch), ed., Dentō kōgei-tte nani? – miru, shiru, tanoshimu gaido bukku (What Are Traditional Crafts? –A Guidebook to Seeing, Learning, and Enjoying). Unsodo, 2013.