URUSHI: 1,200-Years History of People and Lacquer in Japan
This is a tome of real quality. And it is a fitting testament to the material we know as true lacquer. It has been used in Japan for at least 1,200 years and there are so many fine skills associated with it, it is difficult to know really where to start—they range from its use as a simple application on wood to enhance its grain and to make a wooden core more durable. But that really is just a beginning. The decorative techniques are numerous, engaging and of unrivalled beauty. True lacquer can also be used as an adhesive.
The book-cum-catologue is divided in to six sections, all very well illustrated. There are some sections dealing with true lacquer on a scientific level too.
Only one drawback. The book is in Japanese and the only English language section is toward the back of the volume. Here the six main sections of the book are outlined under the heading The Wonders of URUSHI: 1,200-Years History of People and Lacquer in Japan.
An introduction precedes text summarising each section. The book is the result of Collaborative Research (exhibit type) of the National Museum of Japanese History. “The new establishment of Urushi Cultural History based on Interdisciplinary Research” that was conducted between 2013 and 2015.
Some people may be wondering why the material is termed URUSHI as apposed to true lacquer or simply lacquer. It seems that many people working with this natural substance fear that is might be thought that “lacquer” is a synthetic material like a paint. This is why the Japanese word for the material is so often used in the hope that it will not be mistaken for a synthetic concoction.
The six sections are headlined in the following way:
1. Urushi Trees and Lacquer Culture
2. Techniques of Lacquer
3. Life with Lacquer
4. Lacquer and Power
5. Lacquer on the Move
6. The Present and Future of Lacquer
Anyone who is even only vaguely interested in true lacquer, is properties, attributes, history and uses will find this book a-must-have volume. Even without any knowledge of Japanese, a page by page examination of the book is thoroughly recommended.
1,200-Years History of People and Lacquer in Japan, published by the National Museum of Japanese History, 2017
ISBN978-4-86195-140-4 C0621
URUSHI ふしぎ物語—人と漆の1,200年史―
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