Lacquer (urushi) refers to various objects—especially wood, but also Papier Mâché, glass, ceramics, metal and, today, plastic—coated with lacquer, polished, then decorated in several layers more of designs in other colors. Lacquer works include a variety of everyday objects: small or large containers, tableware, hair decorations, endless types of bowls, boxes, trays, a variety of small objects carried or worn by people, and larger objects such as furniture (e.g. pianos).
A long tradition of lacquer work goes back several thousand years. Asian lacquer is distinct from other types used in Europe, Russia. It is an urushiol lacquer (i.e. toxic, oil-based) derived from the cured sap of the “lacquer tree,” Toxicodendron vernicifluum, a relative of “poison sumac/oak” in the West. It is not safe for hyper-allergenic people until it is cured. Harvesting the sap requires immunity to its effects (itching, rashes). The tree yields lacquer sap the way rubber trees do: cut the bark and collect the dripping brown sap. Lacquer trees grow to be harvested in about ten years and represent a major industry in Asian countries. Much processing (especially straining) of the sap is required before it can be used.
The most typical is black lacquer created by adding iron oxide to the sap; but reddish brown, and cinnabar red (adds ferric oxide) are also quite common. Multi-colored combinations of lacquers are especially notable. Over time the color palette has expanded and, in the Meiji era, became ever more decorative—with the European market in mind.
Lacquer is not just a matter of painting an object but of a commitment of several artisans to seek perfection. Weeks and months or more often transpire between stages of a work. It is said that if a master makes 100 pieces, 100 pieces will be perfect! Each production stage requires time to “dry” in a special chamber where moisture is added to the air to create a chemical transformation or “curing” by which the lacquer becomes impervious. Each stage also requires copious polishing before adding the next layer in building the final images. Lacquer artisans woefully observe that they are less “creators” than “polishers”—a clue to a lower profile for the creative design in favor of the long period of technical execution.
Maki-e (蒔絵, literally: sprinkled picture) is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a makizutsu or a kebo brush. The technique was developed mainly in the Heian Period (794–1185) and blossomed in the Edo Period (1603–1868). Maki-e objects were initially designed as household items for court nobles, they soon gained more popularity and were adopted by royal families and military leaders as an indication of power.
To create different colours and textures, maki-e artists use a variety of metal powders including gold, silver, copper, brass, lead, aluminum, platinum, pewter, as well as their alloys. Bamboo tubes and soft brushes of various sizes are used for laying powders and drawing fine lines. As it requires highly-skilled craftsmanship to produce a maki-e painting, young artists usually go through many years of training to develop the skills and to ultimately become maki-e masters. Kōami Dōchō (1410–1478) was the first lacquer master linked to specific works. His maki-e works used designs from various Japanese contemporary painters. Kōami and another maki-e master, Igarashi Shinsai, were originators of the two major schools of lacquer-making in the history of Japan.
Takamakie (or “raised maki-e”) is one of the three major techniques in maki-e making. Developed in the Muromachi Period (1336–1573), the technique of takamakie involves building up design patterns above the surface through a mixture of metal powder, lacquer and charcoal or clay dust.
Another special kind of maki-e is togidashi maki-e, where a black lacquer without oil is put on the metal decoration as an additional coat.
Text in italics by Momoyama gallery