November 05, 2021

Lacquer artisans add layers to 1,000 years of tradition

Sept. 13, 2017 The Japan Times
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A craft preserved from ancient times, lacquering is one of Japan’s representative arts, so much so that “japanning” became a word in English for similar lacquerwork. In 1955, the artisan Otomaru Kodo was designated by the government as a “preserver of an important intangible cultural property,” making him a living national treasure, in recognition of his contribution to further developing the craft with a technique of building colored layers and carving through them to create fascinating designs, Lacquering techniques have been handed down from generation to generation over more than a thousand years, producing numerous creative works of high artistic value.

Like so many traditional crafts, the art of lacquering requires an enormous amount of patience and perseverance.

Japan Illustrated, 1968, Vol. 1 No. 1
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From The Japan Times