Wakasa Lacquerware

Wakasa lacquerware (若狭塗, Wakasa-nuri) is traditional Japanese art from Obama City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Wakasa lacquerware can be boxes or other objects.  They are covered in decorations of eggshells, seashells, and pine needles. Wakasa lacquerware uses togidashi maki-e, a technique in which a large pattern is put on an object by adding many layers of lacquer. it takes a long time to make Wakasa laquerware. The entire process is completed by a single artisan. Wakasa lacquerware  is famous for lacquer chopsticks in Japan. Lacquer chopsticks from Obama City account for 80% of domestic production, but almost all of them are produced in factories. Wakasa lacquer chopsticks which are actually produced by artisans are less than 1 percent of the domestic production in Obama City. Artisans take at least half a year to produce a pair of chopsticks. In 2008 and 2013, a lacquer picture frame and a lacquer ballpoint pen were given to Barack Obama by Obama City.

History 

Wakasa lacquerware is said to have started in the early Edo period from 1596 to 1615. An lacquerware artisan, Sanjuro Matsuura created a lacquerware which had a pattern of seabed of Wakasa Bay. The pattern was designed by referring to Chinese lacquerware. The techniques of producing lacquerware which Matsuura had developed was improved during the Manji era (1658 to 1660). Because families of the lord supported the artisans, Wakasa lacquerware became the core industry of the Obama Domain. It is said that the golden age of Wakasa lacquerware when Wakasa lacquerware were popular and sold a lot is the middle to late Edo period (1603-1868), but after that, the demand of Wakasa lacquerware has decreased. These days, artisans are trying to create new ways to apply design, such as PC mouse and accessories. The number of artisans has been decreasing and, as of 2020, there were 4 artisans of Wakasa lacquerware.

Process 

There are 18 steps to make Wakasa lacquerware.

 Kokuso zume Excavate joints and scratches of woods by using chisel and mixing jinoko (powder of baked clay) and lacquer.
Cloth covering Cover cloth to joints between wood and other wood. 
 Base coating Mix lacquer and jinoko and paint it to wood by using spatula. 
 Second coating Mix red clay and lacquer and paint it to wood by using spatula.
 Sharpen rust After drying, whet surface of the wood by stone.
Rub rusting undercoat Rub raw lacquer to the whetted product.
Patterning Rub lacquer and pattern by using blue shells, eggshells, or pine needles.
Undercoating Mix lacquer and orpiment, reddish powder, or green rake and paint the product.
Put gold leaf Put gold leaf on the product.
Press foil Paint ji-urushi (a kind of lacquer) on the golden product.
Kadosashi Paint lacquer at the corner of the product by finger.
Painting Paint lacquer many times. 
Stone whet At first, whet the product with rough stone. Then, whet with smooth stone until patterns are appeared. 
Gloss painting Whet lacquer with cotton to fix scratches. 
Ink whet Whet smoothly with coal to remove scars. 
Tonoko polish Mix tonoko (powder of rock) and seed oil and polish the part of patterns of the product with it. 
Tsunoko'' polish Rub raw lacquer and polish them with Tsunoko'' (baked deer antler powder) three times. 
Finish polish Polish again to make them glosser.

New styles of Wakasa Lacquerware 
Nowadays, new Wakasa lacquerware products which are used in daily life are made. For example, PC mouse, ballpoint pens, and phone covers are new kinds of products of it in order for people who buy them to know about Wakasa lacquerware.

References

Other websites 
KOGEI JAPAN https://kogeijapan.com/locale/ja_JP/wakasanuri/

若狭御食国おばま食文化館　http://www1.city.obama.fukui.jp/obm/mermaid/modules/content2/index.php#03
伝統工芸若狭塗　加福漆器店　http://kabukusikki.sakura.ne.jp/top.html

Ceramics
Japanese culture