Lean all about the Wajima nuri lacquerware making process
Wajima lacquer
A lacquer is a protective waterproof coating applied to the surface of wooden or metal objects.
Wajima lacquer is a traditional Japanese lacquer first developed in the Kyoho era of the Edo Period (1716CE-1736CE) in the city of Wajima.
The difference between Wajima and other lacquers is the use of a particular type of rock formed from fossilised algae known as diatomaceous earth. The diatomaceous earth, which can also be found in some tooth pastes, is finely ground and baked and then mixed into the initial layers of the lacquer, granting a beautiful and durable finish.
Wajima-Nuri is the only lacquer ware producing area of Japan to have been formally recognised as an important cultural asset. We were fascinated by the beauty, charm and strength of the material and commissioned a Shioyasu Lacquer Ware Studio to create an original jubako, multi-tier food box and shiru wan, soup bowl.
Primer and base coats
The first layers applied to the wood act to seal and protect the material, they also allow the painter the ability to change the shape of the wood slightly.
The process of applying the base coats requires three to four months as the successive layers are built up. It is during this phase that the ground rock that makes Wajima lacquerware unique is applied by mixing it together with the lacquer.
Secondary coats
After the initial coats have fully dried the item is polished and the secondary coats applied. The lacquer used in this stage differs in that it doesn’t contain the rock dust present in the initial coats and that it has been heated to reduce the water content. This lacquer is much darker in colour and forms the beginnings of the beautiful finish that will emerge in the final coats.
Top coat
Finally several thick coats of lacquer are applied to form the final coating.
Makie Decoration
After the top coat of lacquer dries, an artisan will gently paint shapes on to the surface by applying a partial coat of lacquer. Gold or silver dust in then sprinkled onto the shape, sticking fast to the drying material and bringing the image to life. At Unagi no Okamura our lacquer shiru wan (soup bowls) are decorated with an original lacquer work created using the makie technique.
Chinkin Decoration
Chikin is an extension of the makie technique. As before images are drawn using the contrast of gold and silver against the backdrop of the lacquer. The artisan will carve hollows into the lacquer of varying depth, which are then filled with the metallic dust. This allows for variation in the level of colour saturation and therefore for a greater range of expression and the creation of more complex images. At Eel Okamura our jubako (multi tier food boxes), weights and shiru wan (soup bowls) have been decorated using the chinkin technique in a design created by ÅBÄKE, a group of artists operating in London, with the theme of "Harukanaru tabi" or Distant Voyages.
