The lacquer scraping technique has been designated a World Intangible Heritage Site, which brings back memories of the inauguration of the preservation society. At that time, it was generally believed that lacquer culture originated on the continent and was brought to Japan from the Korean peninsula, so orders for domestic raw lacquer were decreasing and the price was lower than Korean raw lacquer.
A 100 million yen lacquer panel by Korean lacquer artist Jeon Yong Bok was installed at the Iwayama Lacquer Art Museum in Morioka. Only 3.75kg (1 kan) of raw lacquer from Joboji was used for this. It was later discovered that the subsidy was misused and the museum is now closed. The Iwayama Lacquer Art Museum is the successor to the Morioka Hashimoto Museum, which was built by the painter Hashimoto Yaoji (1903-1979) with his own funds. I believe that the value of the museum can only be maintained by the works of Yaoji Hashimoto and the historical background.
The photographic work was not well received at the time of its publication, but it is a work of deep feeling for Japanese lacquer. Urushi report at Hiroyuki Watanabe workroom:Urushi:Works:Hiage:Details
Paper wasp nest
2021-11-03T18:00+09:00
This year's Joboji lacquer has arrived.
Paper wasps often came into our workshop because of the smell of the sap. There is no particular type of fibre and sap plant for paper wasps to build their hives.
In Joboji we occasionally met hives made of lacquer. The best way to tell the difference is to remove the nest from the base and see if it comes off or not. If not, the nest is made of lacquer. With other saps it peels off quickly, but with lacquer it doesn't come off at all.
Here is a very informative video. Award-winning film at the National Science Film Festival for Children (72) The Life of the paper wasps
In the nest there are things that are necessary to protect the precious eggs from nature.
This year I wanted to make an art works with this feeling.
Translation
2021-10-20T22:00+09:00
This article describes the economic botany collection at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew.
I was very surprised to learn that the opening of Japan in the mid-19th century and the arrival of kerosene from the West ended the major role of lacquer plantations until the end of the Edo period.
It tells a lot about Quinn's dedication to life in Japan from 1867 to 1896. I hope that the situation of lacquer in Japan in the early Meiji period, from a foreign perspective, will be widely known.
Most of the copy paper is machine translation, I translate the part of the sticky notes about raw lacquer in the Quinn Report based on my experience of living in Joboji.
Quin Collection
2021-09-14T18:40+09:00
This is a report on Japanese lacquer compiled by John J Quinn between 1867 and 1882.
There are some questions in it, but when combined with what I learned from Shunzo Omori, it is very instructive as a standard for judging quality lacquer sap.
The current production target of the Agency for Cultural Affairs is 2 tons. The Quinn Report records that sap is collected from trees between 100 and 200 years old in Akita, Tsugaru and Nanbu.
According to the history of Joboji-cho, in 1653 the Nanbu clan produced about 1.6 tons of raw lacquer [the total amount of lacquer delivered by the Nanbu clan was about 700 Hai (830 kg)In the case of lacquer trees, because at that time they were 50% tax, 50% producers]. ］In 1884, at the Iwate Prefectural Industrial Exhibition, the company exhibited approximately 750 Hai (2.8t) of raw lacquer.
I think that the Quinn collection should be re-evaluated more.
World Heritage
2021-08-13T10:30+09:00
Jomon Monuments in Hokkaido and the Tohoku Region Registered as World Heritage Sites
"The Jomon monuments are considered to represent a complex spiritual culture that included rituals and a sedentary lifestyle that did not involve farming, which is rare in world history, It is said that the archaeological site is the oldest in Japan as a World Cultural Heritage site
About 9,000 years ago, lacquerware was used for rituals. Even after the arrival of Buddhism, lacquer has been handed down as a very important material. In the Obon festival, people make a welcoming fire with "ogara" (the core of a hemp stem). This custom still remains close at hand.
The photo shows the exhibition at Takashimaya Department Store in Nihombashi last year. The work on the worktable is my urn made of hemp and lacquer.
Plants+People2001 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
2021-07-24T10:10+09:00
The exhibition is about the relationship between humans and plants, and provides information on the conservation of plant resources around the world.
Using AI translation, I was able to find out a lot about the Kew lacquer collection. In this catalog, the lacquer trees are described as "The trees are native to China. My theory about the origin of Japanese lacquer trees was not taken seriously, and I did not have the confidence to present it publicly, but now I have all the materials. The minimum requirement is that there be no contradiction in natural science. Even if it is not accepted by the Japanese Society of Botany, I will continue to present my theory of origin in the world of art.
I have to do my best to make bowls that are easier to use than the ones I have so far, because that is what basic research is for.
Break time
2021-06-06T20:55+09:00
Take a break while eating sweets. The sweets in the bottom row are the seasonal limited edition of the famous confectionery Shirasagi-Ho from Hanami, a Japanese sweets shop in Urawa. The upper tier is my wife's handmade cookie.（Baby bowl are available at the online store）。Go to shop
The Art Book is by the late Tatsuhiko Yokoo. Although he was a Japanese painter at the University of the Arts, his work is unconventional and appealing. He was the same generation as Mr. Hirayama and Mr. Kayama. Nowadays, abstract expression in Japanese painting has become common, but back then it was very innovative. I think it is the artist who keeps searching for his own expression.
I've changed to V.S.Code because Brackets will not be able to use this autumn. I'm hoping that this will be a place where I can leave the value of my work even after I die. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Authenticity
2021-03-01T21:20+09:00
Garden Kew Quin collection A collection of lacquer scraping tools. There is a large bark stripping sickle.
The lacquer tree shown in the newspaper article in the previous section. The surface has been flattened with a bark-removing sickle. The characteristics of the trees and the tools used to remove the bark are very important to meet the World Heritage criteria for authenticity.
Nowadays there is a mixture of improved trees and different species for economic reasons, so it is very significant that Japanese Urushi Tapping Preservation Society has been accredited
Memory of the World Programme（Not approved）
2021-02-15T20:55+09:00
Left:Map of the distribution of lacquer trees in the Garden Kew Quin collection. A report on the Japanese lacquer industry by the British Consulate in Hakodate (1882) describes the natural lacquer wood and lacquer scraping of the time. This is an important document to be passed on to future generations.
Right:The newspaper article mentions a 100 year old lacquer tree felled in 1995, which is interesting considering that it sprouted in Noshiro, Akita around 1895.
The distribution map of 1882 shows that this area was a natural lacquer tree area at that time.It is a precious lacquer tree, native and endemic to Japan.
World intangible cultural heritage
2021-01-11T20:55+09:00
The Japanese Urushi lacquer production and refinement, which was selected by the Agency for Cultural Affairs for preservation of technology (holding organizations: The Society for Japanese Lacquer and Japanese Urushi Tapping Preservation Society), has been recognized as a World Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.I believe that I was able to make some contribution to the cultivation of urushi seedlings.
The Jomon period was the pioneering period of lacquering techniques. I hope to see the Jomon sites in Hokkaido and Tohoku become World Heritage sites.This bowl is a work that was exhibited at the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art in a bowl exhibition. The wood base was made by Takashi Mizukami, and I made by used only lacquer collected from the planting area of Joboji which was distributed by The Society for Japanese Lacquer. At the time, I didn't think I would use all Japanese lacquer for my work.
