South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-10-21
japanese

has said that: japanese lacquered
objects are the most perfect works
that have ever issued from the hands
OF man"
No one who has ever watched the
kind. bronzed face of a Japanese
lacquerer. wrinkling in the sunshine.
as he bends over some cleaning
piece OF lacquer, tracing the daintiest
butterflies on its polished surface.
| busting gold fecks on their wings.
( then tenderly smoothing them for
| hours upon hours. with fingers that
/ never hurry nor weary, can see a
piece Of lacquer, however far re-
/ moved from the quiet of the old lac
| quer's workshop, without going back
on the wings Of thought TO the land
where dwelt the patient workman.
| For piece OF lac is an almost per
feet expression Of the peculiar
/ genius Of the Japanese people; il is
delicate in design, rich in color. and
marvellous as an expression Of their
imaginative charm. This is all the
more astonishing, as lacquer is
| probably one OF the most intractable
and difficult materials ever used by
man.
Lac is a gum, exuded by a tree
| known in Japan as the urushi tree,
really a species of sumach The
finest quality of lacquer was OBJ
tanned from the old trees, which per
ished soon after the extraction Of
the gum, so that they had to be con-
! tinually replaced to preserve the
supply. This. when lacquering be
gan TO gain in popularity among the
people. the necessity of passing laws
which utterly prohibited its exporta-
ton were found necessary for the
protection of its culture.
Like so many other things, lac
quer was first brought to Japan
/ from China, and was known there
as early as 392 B. c. Lacquer, at
/ that time. was unornamented and
was used for making drinking yes
sells, cooking utensils and water jars;
no family menage was complete
without its piece of lacquer. From
| these humble beginnings, so Won
derfully has the skill of the lac
querer increased that pieces of their
| handiwork are treasured all the
world over.
It is unknown at what period IN
its evolution lacquer first began to
be ornamented, but the earliest
pieces known are to be found in
the Chosoin and Todaiji temples, at
| Nara.
The production of a piece of fine
! lacquer expresses the genius, so
often manifested by eastern peoples,
which com bines artistic imagination
with unfaltering perseverance and
technical comprehensiveness. The
/ process is tedious, beset at every turn
with conditions which require the
! greatest skill in the working out Of
minute detail, and can be handled
only by the man who works unhin-
dered by the limiting thoughts of
| time. First, a wooden foundation
| for the object to be lacquered is
made from wood, specially chosen
for the purpose; a certain kind of
wood, known as hi-no-ki, generally
being used because Of its freedom
f, from warping and its possibilities
of fine finish The foundation is
| covered and enforced by a piece of
hempen cloth, stretched tightly over
it and applied with a coating of
paste mixed with lac; after this has
been ground down on a milestone
to a proper smoothness, it is ready
for the first coating OF lacquer
proper. For this, a fat. short haired
! brush is used, those made of human
hair being thought the best.
J The first coat Of lacquer is put on
in a thin, even layer and set aside
to dry for from II hours to several
days. Lacquer dries best in a damp
atmosphere and all lacquers have
their damp cupboard for drying
The surface of the lacquer is rub
bed and polished with charcoal,
coat after coat being added and pol
ished until the final polishing, which
is made with a fine ash of calcined
d.er's horn and applied with the
! fngertips. 1t takes, at the very
least, 33 different operations TO COM
/ plete a piece Of plain, unornamented.
black lacquer, whilst the production
of those pieces which are deliberately
decorted and include the work of
several different styles Of lacquer,
and there are many, may extend the
mum Der TO so or more without the
| least difficulty. Thus a single piece
may represent weeks and months Of
labor, built up as it is. layer upon
layer.
In the Gays OF the noble Shoguns.
as there were families famous for
their armor and sword blades, so
! there grew up long lines Of court
lacquerers. the secrets Of their work
/ and the traditions of their name de
| scending from father 10 son, as
] legacies rfich in honorable virtue
/ The Komas family were particularly
noted for their excellent work. and
| held positions as court lacquerers for
more than 200 years, beginning un-
der the Shotgun Iyemitsu, in 1868.
| There is one name that stands
alone in the annals of japanese lac
ouering. however, and that is Ogata
Korin (1660-1716). the master OF
/ supreme excellence.