Tanmoku Plate, Samidare

Lacquerware

Craft Company: Komai Shikki

ORIGIN: Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture
SIZE: Φ240 × H20 mm
MATERIAL: Horse chestnut, lacquer

Traces of early summer rain

This wooden plate, named “Tanmoku-zara,” was inspired by one of the traditional techniques of Takaoka lacquerware, in which pieces are engraved and lacquered. A metal craftsman engraves delicate hammered patterns with exquisite care on a 100-year-old horse chestnut tree shaped by a woodturning craftsman with a plane and a rokuro, or spinning lathe. When raw lacquer is applied over the wood, shadows appear like traces of rain on the grain of the wood. This beautiful piece, made through the skillful collaboration of artisans in Takaoka, a town known for its lacquer and metal crafts, has the warmth of handiwork in their elegant appearance.

Related Contents

RESOURCE

Chokoku-nuri
- Technique
This is one of the most representative techniques of Takaoka lacquerware, and is attributed to Tanpo Tsuji, a master craftsman of the mid-Edo period (1603-1868). The technique involves applying colored lacquer over a pattern carved into the wood, which creates a three-dimensional effect and shading and gives it a unique luster.
Takaoka lacquerware
- Generic term
A generic name for lacquerware produced in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture. It began in the early Edo period (1603-1868) under Toshinaga Maeda, lord of the Kaga domain (now Toyama Prefecture). Later, the tsuishu and tsuikoku techniques were introduced from China, and a variety of new techniques were created. The most representative of those include aogai-nuri, a type of mother-of-pearl inlay that uses thinly shaved shells; yusuke-nuri, characterized by its Chinese style design; and chokoku-nuri, characterized by its three-dimensionality and the luster of colored lacquer.
Tankin (Forging)
- Technique
A metalworking technique in which a hammer or wooden mallet is used to shape a sheet or ingot of metal, such as gold, silver, iron, or copper, by hammering or bending.
Hikimono (Woodturning)
- Classification
- Technique
A technique to carve round shaped tableware by putting a dried lumber on a spinning lathe and applying a turning tool like a chisel to it. Products made by using this technique include bowls and round trays.
Fuki-urushi (Wiping lacquer)
- Technique
A technique whereby raw lacquer is applied and then wiped off repeatedly with a cotton cloth. Also called suri-urushi. It makes it possible to show the texture and beautiful grain of the wood while giving strength to the vessel.

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