Lacquer cup. It makes water taste really good.
Compare it with other materials such as glass, ceramic, metal, and plastic.
There will be times when you will feel that lacquer is the way to go today.
This red is a new pigment that contains no heavy metals.
Please feel free to use it.
In Oita, there is a place called Niu. Tansa is a mineral composed of mercury sulfide (HgS). It is also known as the philosopher's stone, red mercury sulfide, cinnabar, and vermilion sand.
In Japan, it has been called "Ni" since ancient times and is an essential mineral in the conservation and restoration of cultural properties.
Handling of Lacquerware
2017-10-03T10:00
The eggs are mashed with a metal fork.
After this, mayonnaise is added and stirred in.
Stabbing it with the fork is not a good idea, but using it like this is completely fine.
Please do not try this with other lacquerware.
Lacquerware: How to Remove Tea Stains
2017-09-17T17:00
I started using lacquer cups last year.
I use them for beer, wine, tea, coffee, milk, and water.
I have been using it a lot, but it has become darkened from leftover drinks and water stains after washing.
I soak them in household chlorine bleach to remove the stains.
It states "Do not use on lacquerware" in the handling precautions section.
I gave it a try.
The right side is the part soaked in bleach. Urushi is resistant to acid and alkali.
I was not sure about the vermilion pigment, but it is fine. This is obvious, but why do we generally feel uneasy about it?
If you drop it hard enough, it will crack, just like glass or ceramics.
I think the advantages that other materials don't have are the lightness and the fact that even if it chips, the pieces won't fly apart and it is safe.
How to Wash Lacquerware
2017-09-10T15:00
In the handling precautions section, it says "Do not use on lacquerware or other easily scratched items."
I wash my own lacquerware with this Sarash mesh scrubber. It is completely fine.
The detergent is a standard liquid-type synthetic detergent. I use it normally!
Every year, we display bowls that we use at home in the exhibition hall. Please have a look.
Please do not imitate this with other lacquerware.
Jounou Site, Saitama City: Urushi Identification
2017-09-09T23:00
Report on the Excavation of the Jounou Peat Bed Site - Natural Remains
1982 Saitama Prefectural Board of Education
The wood excavated from this site was reported as "mountain urushi" (Toxicodendron trichocarpum).
In a book published in 2014 by the National Museum of Japanese History, it is stated that "in this period, it was possible to identify the genus Toxicodendron, but it was difficult to identify the species." The photo below was found as a reference.
If I had to choose between the proportions of the width of the annual rings and the size of the vessel elements, I would choose the true lacquer tree.
It seems to have been modified quite a bit at other sites.
A panel discussion on this site was held at the Cultural Property Lacquer Association (Bulletin No. 52). It is a pity that if it had been reported as true lacquer at that time, the discussion would have expanded further.
Lacquer products and wood with lacquer tapping marks have been excavated from the Minami-Kounuma site (Saitama City Board of Education).
By the way, I do not know of any ancient lacquer fossils yet.
Ginkgo fossils dating back about 80 million years have been found in Japan.
I think they might be out there.
I just want to try different kinds of lacquer to make strong bowls...
Hokkaido Minamikayabe Town: Kanshitsu
2017-09-07T18:00
The world's oldest lacquer product made of hemp and lacquer.
It states that lacquer pieces with soil attached were sent to an American research institute for testing.
I heard a rumor that this radiocarbon dating is questioned by some.?????
A lacquer branch excavated at the Torihama shell mound in Fukui Prefecture seems to have been confirmed at 12,000 years old.
Those who insist on the theory that lacquer—both the tree and the technology—came from China via the Korean Peninsula may not want to admit this.
However, archaeology involves a broad range of interpretation, and it is difficult to be definitive.
Red Iron Oxide
2017-09-03T13:00
I like bengara (red iron oxide) even more after reading this article. Isn't it possible that with heat (energy), water, and iron, life could be born? Could they be the primordial ancestors before plants and animals, the origins of life? There is a possibility that environments capable of fostering the origin of species can be found deep underground anywhere on Earth. My imagination is soaring.
Early life in hydrothermal vents. Presumed signs of life at least 3.77 billion years old were found in jasper and carbonate rocks in northern Quebec, Canada, including tubular structures made of red hematite. (Excerpt from text)
O-Bon
2017-08-11T21:00
Ogara: The stalks of hemp that have been stripped of their bark.
It is used to light the welcoming and sending fires of the Urabon festival, and as chopsticks to accompany offerings. (From Weblio Dictionary)
Coarse hemp is used not only in Shinto rituals, but also in Buddhist ceremonies.
Hemp seeds were also used in shichimi togarashi pepper.
The Cannabis Control Act restricts the handling of hemp to fibers, mature stalks and their products, seed collection, and academic research, requiring a license for handling.
Recently, there have been many violations regarding leaves, flowers, and other parts that are prohibited from being traded.
Unfortunately, Hita's coarse hemp has not been approved for use in anything other than Kurume Kasuri shibori dyeing.
Preservation groups that use hemp bark as a dyeing tool discard the stalks, while groups that use hemp stalks for torches discard the bark (fiber).
However, hemp stalks are generally available for sale. I wonder why.
This is a traditional material that has been handed down since before the Jomon period. I wish something could be done about it.
Kurume Kasuri
2017-07-25T12:00
A long time ago, my mother-in-law made a kimono from a roll of fabric. My wife still wears it often.
Coincidentally, it has a hemp leaf pattern.
I had no idea that coarse hemp was used for this pattern.
Hemp can grow up to four meters in four months, flourishing without requiring much effort.
Because of this, it is an auspicious pattern bearing the wish that babies and children will grow up healthy and strong.
Although hemp is inconspicuous in lacquer bowls, it is an indispensable material to prevent the wood base from cracking.
At a party at the Tokyo American Club Frederick Harris Gallery last year.
My wife wore it as a kimono related to lacquer, although it was Kasuri.
The members of the club were surprised to discover that many people do not understand the characteristics of lacquer native to Japan and its remarkable durability.
The video of Mr. Shunzo Omori's lacquer tapping, the archival materials, and the works he created with that lacquer are immensely valuable.
Amount of Sap per Lacquer Tree
2017-07-17T15:00
In this book, there is a section that summarizes the 16-year lacquer tapping diary left by Shunzo Omori.
In 1996, there were about 400 lacquer trees and the total harvest was about 24 kan (approx. 90 kg). Based on this, the yield per lacquer tree is about 225 grams.
In detail, there were five 5-kan barrels: (7/1 - 8/5), (8/6 - 8/24), (8/25 - 9/14), (9/15 - 10/9), and (10/10 - 10/29). Assuming that Sakari (prime) lacquer is harvested around the time of Obon (by August), 400 lacquer trees are consumed to make two barrels: one for Hatsumeno and one for Sakari.
In recent years, many tappers produce only up to two barrels. It is sobering to calculate the number of trees consumed from the amount of sap produced. The quality labeling on the barrels has also become questionable.
