What We Are Working on Now is Based on History and Tradition - Japan's URUSHI Art

Abstract

The movement to preserve the heritage of lacquerware in the Asia-Pacific region is to connect  the countries of East Asia with lacquer art as a belt. If lacquer is defined as ‘natural paint  made from tree sap,' the lacquer trees, even if they belong to the same botanical family,  differ in genus, and even within the same genus, they adapt to the environment of their growth  location. It is also essential to know more about the birth years of lacquer art and indigenous  decoration methods in each country, and by understanding these differences, it is possible to  form a single cultural sphere of lacquerware. In modern times, the term “lacquer” has  generally come to refer to synthetic paints. To distinguish, the lacquer collected from the  bark of trees in Japan and China is often referred to “URUSHI” in both English and Japanese,  as the main component of the oil is named Urushiol, making it more acceptable. However, in  recent years, foreign restorers presenting at lacquerware restoration symposiums have  increasingly referred to the main oil components of tree sap lacquer, such as Laccol in  Vietnamese lacquer and Thitsiol in Thai and Myanmar lacquer, as “URUSHI” in Japanese. In this  paper, the term URUSHI will be used as a general term. The use of tree sap obtained by making  cuts in the trunk for coating, the requirement for appropriate temperature and humidity for  drying, the need for caution due to its allergenic properties, and the existence of production  systems, these commonalities allow us to discuss the protection of “shared lacquerware  heritage in the Asia-Pacific region” as a unified entity. 

This paper first aims to raise awareness of Japanese URUSHI art as an individual entity. By  tracing the history of Japanese URUSHI art over time, we can clarify why Japanese URUSHI art  has continued uninterrupted, explore its connections with surrounding URUSHI art countries,  trace the origins of Japanese URUSHI art through excavated artifacts, examine the various types  of bodies, the evolution of Maki-e unique to Japan, the acceptance and development of  decorative techniques introduced from overseas, the imitation of exported URUSHI-ware in  foreign lands, the indispensable role of URUSHI art in the foreign policies of the Meiji  government, and the preservation of URUSHI art as a traditional technique through school  education. By doing so, we can better understand the connection to contemporary URUSHI art and  recognize that “what is being created now is based on history and tradition.”