The Fine Art of Lacquer-Ware Making
By “Awake!” correspondent in Okinawa
HAVE you ever seen exquisite lacquer ware? It is truly a beautiful piece of art. Its brilliantly polished surfaces are comparable to highly glazed porcelain. Perhaps it calls to your mind the Oriental countries of China, Japan or Korea. But did you know that some of the finest lacquer ware is made here in Okinawa?
Almost always the basis of lacquer ware is wood. The wood is shaped into vases, trays, dishes and so forth. It is amazing to what astonishing thinness the wood can be worked. Sometimes it is as thin as paper! Then dozens of thin coats of a special lacquer are, in turn, applied, giving the article a remarkable hardness and durability.
Fine lacquer ware does not show wear even after hundreds of years. Once a collection of it went down on a sunken ship. After eighteen months it was recovered, and in 1878 was exhibited in Vienna. The long exposure to the sea had failed to damage the pieces!
This durable lacquer is produced from the sap of a variety of sumac tree, the Rhus verniciflua, which is grown in China, Japan and other Eastern countries. It is commonly called the lacquer tree. Japanese lacquer is considered superior. And the reason is thought to be that the Japanese tap the trees only when the sap is at its best, during the months of June and September.
The Chinese thousands of years ago developed the process of making lacquer ware. Artifacts from as early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.—220 C.E.) have been found. The Japanese later learned the art from the Chinese.
It was about 714 C.E. that Japanese explorers visited the Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa being the largest of these. They probably brought the first lacquer-ware objects to Okinawa. Gladys Zabika observes in Customs and Culture of Okinawa: “Seven Okinawans in the year 1437 journeyed to Japan to study the methods of making lacquer ware. They returned to Okinawa a few years later and trained others.”
This writer also says: “The shiny bowls and trays became so popular among the people that they began experimenting on ways to improve the quality. They succeeded in developing a new process and improving the materials to the point that Okinawan lacquer ware became famous throughout the east and regarded from Japan to India as the best in the Orient.”
What makes Okinawa lacquer ware different from that of other countries? Well, one difference is the unique method of preparing the clay base. Also, the wood and the raw materials are different.
The wood usually used here is from trees that grow on the Ryukyu Islands. It is very light, does not crack easily, and is strong even in humid climates.
The logs must be thoroughly dried, since wood that is green will warp and bend after being processed. The chunks of wood are carved on power-driven lathes into bowls, vases, trays and other objects.
The articles are next coated with a special paste. Up until about a year ago this paste was made from pigs’ blood, clay and tung oil. But now a polycite synthetic paste is used. It is stronger and does not chip so easily.
The thoroughly dried articles are then worked over with sandpaper and whetstone. They are next coated with lacquer, dried, and rubbed with charcoal. This process is repeated a number of times. Then the articles are given a final coat of lacquer.
Next decorations are put on the articles. There are three basic designs used here. One is mother-of-pearl. Another is called “tsuikin.” Colored lacquer is rolled into thin sheets, which are cut into shapes of banana plants, hibiscus, deigo flowers, bamboo and so forth, and applied to the lacquer ware. The last type of decoration is hand-painted designs called “makie.”
Lacquer ware varies widely in quality. Yet, as one examines a variety of lacquer-ware articles, one is impressed that many of them are truly beautiful pieces of art.