Circle Box"Massive Flowers"

A round box fashioned with kanshitsu is accented with marbled turban shell (Raden), and its surface covered with large chrysanthemum blossoms executed in togidashi (polished back) maki-e. Descending lines trickle down and obscure the sides, creating an atmospheric effect, while the lavish chrysanthemum blossoms are reminiscent of fireworks bursting in the night sky. Maki-e is a technique in which designs drawn in urushi(lacquer) are sprinkled with gold powder before they harden. Togidashi (polished back) maki-e is one of its basic varieties, and the oldest, carried out continuously since the ninth century. The artist, who specializes in this technique, takes around one and a half years to complete this work.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.