From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Japanese lacquerware is
a broad category of fine and decorative arts, as lacquer has been used in paintings, prints, and on a wide
variety of objects from Buddha statues to bento boxes for food.
A number of terms are used in Japanese to refer to lacquerware.
Shikki (漆器) means "lacquer ware" in the most literal
sense, while nurimono (塗物) means "coated things", and
urushi-nuri (漆塗) means "lacquer coating."
The sap of the lacquer tree, today bearing the technical
description of "urushiol-based lacquer," has traditionally
been used in Japan. As the substance is poisonous to the touch
until it dries, the creation of lacquerware has long been practiced
only by skilled dedicated artisans.
Lacquer has been found to have been used in Japan as early as
7,000 BC, during the Jōmon period .The evidence is
discovered in kaninosimaB remains of the Minanikayabe town of Hokkaido (北海道の南茅部町の垣ノ島B遺跡). Although
items produced throughout Japanese history generally began with
Chinese influences and experiencing various stylistic influences
and innovations over the centuries. The Edo period (1603-1868) saw increased focused
cultivation of lacquer trees and the development of techniques, and
in the 18th century colored lacquers came into wider use.
Techniques and process
As in other countries where lacquerware has traditionally been
produced, the process is fundamentally quite basic. An object is
formed from wood, sometimes leather, paper, or basketry. Lacquer is
applied to seal and protect the object, and then decoration is
added. Generally, three coats (undercoat, middle-coat, and final
coat) are used, the final coat sometimes being clear rather than
black lacquer, in order to allow decorations to show through.
Alongside the red and black lacquers, it is common to see the
use of inlay, often seashells or similar
materials, as well as mica or
other materials. The application of gold leaf, flakes, or dust is
known as maki-e, and
is a very common decorative element.
A few examples of traditional techniques follow:
- Ikkanbari (一閑張), also known as harinuki (張貫)
is one common technique used to make tea wares. Invented by Hirai Ikkan in the early
17th century, the process involves the application of layers of
lacquer to paper shaped in a mold.
- Iro-urushi (色漆), literally "color lacquer", was
created by adding pigments to clear lacquer. The limits of natural
pigments allowed only five colors (red, black, yellow, green and
brown) to be used up until the 19th century, when various
innovations appeared, along with the later introduction of Western
artificial pigments. Shibata Zeshin was a major innovator in
this field, using not only color but also other substances mixed in
with his lacquer to achieve a wide variety of effects, including
the simulated appearance of precious metals, which were heavily
restricted from artistic use at the time due to government concerns
over excessive extravagance.
- Shunkei-nuri (春慶塗), supposedly developed by a 14th
century monk named Shunkei, was a popular method in the 17th
century of using clear lacquer to allow the natural appearance of
the wood underneath to show through.
Regional
forms
As with most traditional arts, variations emerged over time as
individual centers of production developed their own unique
techniques and styles.
- Aizu wares developed in the
late 16th century, and saw a peak in their production in the Meiji period. One
Aizu technique is that of etching designs or images into the
surface of the lacquer, and then filling in the space with gold or
other materials. Other techniques distinctive of Aizu involve the
burnishing of various clays
and primers in the process.
- Jōhana wares are generally known for
their use of maki-e and mitsuda-e (gold and lead
decoration, respectively), and for the use of white or whitish
lacquer.
- Negoro lacquerwares were produced at the Negoro-ji temple complex in Izumi province. The red layers of lacquer
on Negoro wares are intended to gradually wear away with use,
revealing the black lacquer underneath. This effect has since been
copied and emulated elsewhere.
- Ryukyuan lacquerware, though
frequently included among types of Japanese lacquer, actually
developed largely independently, with strong influences from China
and Southeast Asia, as the Ryukyu Islands did not come under
Japanese control until 1609.
- Tsugaru
wares feature a technique supposedly developed by Ikeda Gentarō at
the end of the 17th century; multiple layers of different colored
lacquers are used to create a colorful mottled effect.
- Wakasa wares are made
using a variety of colors, and the inclusion of eggshells, rice
chaff, or other materials in the base coats. Silver or gold foil is
used as well, and sealed under a layer of transparent lacquer.
See also
External
links
References
Wikis
Search
