Urushi-e, one of the oldest methods of lacquerware decoration, goes back to the Jomon period (14,500BC to about 300BC) and is done using iro-urushi (coloured urushi), made by mixing urushi and pigment. Until the end of the Edo period, the colours of pigments were limited to yellow, vermillion and dark terracotta, but after that, green was also added. Today, the techniques of making pigments have greatly improved, and many light-resistant colour pigments with different shades are available.
After moving to Okinawa, I discovered by chance a way of making the colours look fresher and brighter. What I do is leave the lacquerware out in the sun after brushing it with iro-urushi, but before it is completely set. Ultraviolet rays and infrared light work their effect on the colours and make them brighter. With this “trick”, making delicate shades of colour has become possible, and I can now make almost as many colours from pigments as there are paints. This means that I can now paint urushi-e just like painting with water or oil colours, which, I feel has increased urushi-e’s potential.
FLOWERS SMALL BOX
RAIN SMALL BOX
Photo by Koji Takanashi
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