[VILLAGE Report vol.46] Just 1 item, but 48 processes | Aomori Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture has one nationally designated traditional craft product: Tsugaru-nuri lacquerware only.

In this series, we have looked at Tokyo’s 23 items (vol.34), Kyoto’s 17 items (vol.22), and Niigata’s 17 items (vol.33).

The number 1 is the smallest in this series.

But the process has more than forty steps

Tsugaru-nuri is made by repeatedly applying lacquer and polishing it down, then applying and polishing again. The process has more than forty steps and takes several months to complete.

Because it takes so much work, locally it is “foolish lacquer” also called this. It is not an insult; rather, it has been used as a compliment.

There are four representative techniques.

• Kara-nuri —placing dots of lacquer with a perforated spatula, layering another color over them, and polishing it down to reveal a mottled pattern
• Nanako-nuri —scattering rapeseeds to create small rings
• Monsha-nuri —charcoal is sprinkled over black lacquer, and only the patterned areas are made to shine
• Nishiki-nuri —adding further patterns over Nanako

What all four have in common is “polishing down.”

It is not completed by applying lacquer, but by layering it, then scraping it back so the lower layers become visible. The way the patterns are made is fundamentally different from other lacquerware.

Placing it alongside three kinds of lacquerware

In this series, the ideas behind lacquerware have largely fallen into three categories.

• Showing the wood grain —Hida Shunkei (vol.26), Odawara lacquerware (vol.35)
• Hiding the wood grain to make it durable —Wajima-nuri (vol.31), Kawatsura lacquerware (vol.45)
• Layering, then carving back to make patterns ―― Tsugaru-nuri lacquerware

Kamakura-bori (vol.35) and Murakami Kibori Tsuishu (vol.33) replaced Chinese carved lacquer with a form in which the wood is carved first.

Tsugaru-nuri did not make that replacement. Instead of reducing the labor, it makes the labor itself the value.

Is 1 item enough?

Kochi (vol.17) had 2 items, but one of them was repairing cultural properties around the world.

Wakayama (vol.18) had 3 items, but it produced 60% of Japan’s plums.

Aomori has 1 item. And that one item has more than forty steps.

If you change how you count, this is not a small number.

Aomori also has many forms of handwork that are rooted in the region, although they are not nationally designated, Yawata-uma horses and kogin embroidery and others. The number of designations and the amount of handwork in a place are separate things.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can Tsugaru-nuri be used in a dishwasher?
A. In general, it is best to avoid dishwashers and microwaves for natural lacquer vessels. This is because microwave heat and high-temperature drying can damage the coating. Washing with lukewarm water and wiping immediately is the key to long use.

In the next issue, this journey comes to an end. We head to Hokkaido.

References: Aomori Prefecture, Hirosaki City, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: iloverjoa / CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)