Yamanaka Tadasu

Yamanaka Tadasu (山中公; 1886-1949) was a lacquer artisan from Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. He settled in Taiwan in 1916 and laid the foundation for the industrialization of Taiwan's lacquer industry. He was the founder of Penglai Lacquerware (Penglai Tu) and brought lacquer art education to Taiwan, cultivating lacquer craftsmen.
==Life and Contribution==
Yamanaka Tadasu was born in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, with the original family name Kotani (甲谷). He graduated from the Lacquer Department of the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now the Tokyo National University of the Arts). In 1916, he settled in Taiwan. At that time, his father-in-law, Yamanaka Kamejiro (山中龜治郎), was running the Fukuki-tei Japanese restaurant in Shinfu Cho, Taichung City, which had a demand for lacquerware tableware and souvenirs. Therefore, he set up the Yamanaka Craft Workshop and the Taichung Craft Manufacturing Company next to the restaurant, and developed the Penglai lacquerware, which was put on sale in 1923 .After launching, the Penglai lacquerware became very popular among Japanese tourists, and became the best choice for travel souvenirs.In 1927, the Penglai Bowl won the second prize in the Taichung Excellent Products Selection and became one of the most recognized local products in Taichung City.In 1935, during the Taiwan Exposition: In Commemoration of the First Forty Years of Colonial Rule, the Taiwan News Agency published a special book on Taiwan's most representative products, which listed Taichung's lacquerware as one of the representative artistic items.
In 1928, the Taichung Municipal Craft Training Institute was established, and in 1937, it was expanded and restructured into the Private Taichung Craft School. Yamanaka Tadasu was the main person in charge of the establishment and transformation of related educational institutions. He was further involved in public affairs promoting the handicraft industry. For example, he served as an appraisal member of the Taichung Chamber of Commerce from 1924 to 1925, as a member of the Taichung City Shinfu Cho Committee from 1927 to 1929, and as the representative of the Taichung Prefectural Furniture and Furnishing Business Association in 1941. He also worked with Miyaki Saburo (宮城三郎) and Matsue Shichiro (松井七郎) to initiate and establish the Taiwan Crafts Association at the Kaohsiung Hall of Commercial and Industrial Promotion. 
Renowned Taiwanese lacquer artists Chen Huo-Ching (陳火慶), Lai Kao-Shan (賴高山), and Wang Ching-Shuang (王清霜) were all students at the Private Taichung Craft School. They have been continuously devoted to the creation of lacquer art and lacquer products in the post-war period. They have also led and influenced the development of lacquer art and culture in Taiwan.
After WWII, in 1946 Yamanaka Tadasu returned to Japan and passed away in 1949 at the age of sixty-five. 
Many years later, Yamanaka Tadasu’s daughter, Yamanaka Miko (山中美子), officially gifted her father's possessions on the opening day of the Penlai Lacquerware: A Century of Taiwanese Lacquerware Exhibition in 2013. After the exhibition, Yamanaka Tadasu’s possessions were entrusted to the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute for preservation
==Style and Works==
===Style===
The lacquerware produced by Yamanaka Tadasu are mostly everyday items with distinct Taiwanese characteristics. He often uses woods from the local Pa-Hsien Mountain. The designs mainly depict Taiwanese folk customs, with a simple yet colorful style. Some of the designs include the pestle-pounding song and dance of the Thao tribe, the Sun Moon Lake, Taiwanese landscapes, tropical fruits such as bananas and pineapples, and the butterfly orchid that represent the exotic southern life. The style is natural and unrestrained, and the techniques used include carving, inlay, painting, and polishing. It breaks free from the traditional limitations of red and black colors and is different from Japanese lacquerware. Penglai lacquerware, also known as "Penglai Tu" lacquerware.
===Works===
* Penglai Tu inkstone 
* Three-layered pastry box
Category:1886 births
Category:People from Takamatsu, Kagawa
Category:Japanese people
Category:Tokyo University of the Arts alumni
Category:Japanese lacquerware artists
Category:Founders
Category:1949 deaths