Dateline KANAZAWA Part II
A Japanese Journal by Stan Klemanowicz
  Article # 488 Article Type: Report

The format for this article is different than the others as I want to post my impressions on lacquering and makie first.

We got to Wajima yesterday. Left on the first bus in the morning for the two hour ride. Little shops selling lacquerware abound in this town. That does not mean they all sell quality wares. All have some work that has taken real time and effort to produce. With very few exceptions, none are done by true masters. Regardless of what you buy you will not leave without an object of lasting beauty.

There seems to be a lot of hype regarding the name Wajima or urushi, as if any and everything that comes from, or might be associated with, here has a sense of magic. There are real gems and great works of art made here and many are on display at the local museum. There are also more common utilitarian objects too. Better works, and many of these are very simple in appearance, take time to produce and are expensive. The process from creation of the wood base, preparation for finishing, and simple lacquering can take a year. There is a film at the museum that shows it can take almost five years to do a high-end table and tea set. Great pains, experience, and talent are required for this level of workmanship and, in some cases, over twenty individual craftsmen are required to produce one item.

A good must-see site to visit is the Wajima Lacquerware Home Page.

Lacquerware is produced on a wood substrate that requires several steps of preparation before the finish layer of lacquer can be applied. And then, it is either scribed for application of gold foils (chinkin) or sent to a makie artist, for application of different treatments of gold. For chinkin work, one error will ruin one year of preparation and lacquering and it has to be done right the first time. At this stage, makie can be removed and redone.

Makie is the surface application of gold and other materials to a lacquered substrate. Although applications by screening or other mechanical processes are called makie by Pilot, Platinum, Sailor, and other pen makers, this is a misnomer. Not one of the craftsman we met would ever consider this the case. True makie is time consuming, done by hand, and generally much more expensive.

Writing instruments do not need the number of craftsmen required to create and prepare the substrate. An ebonite barrel and cap might need minimal preparation for the final lacquer coats to be applied. Some ebonite pens from the 1930s might only have one thin coat of cheap lacquer. Plastic should need none at all.

Some random thoughts on Wajima, Urushi, and makie.

  1. Unless you have a strong interest in Japanese culture, lacquerware, and have time on your hands, Wajima might not be the best way to spend a day in Japan.
  2. To his credit, Stephen Overbury had it right in his discussion and appreciation of makie as a traditional Japanese art form. High-grade makie artwork is painstakingly done and can take years to complete. Only the best artists can perform at this level and, unfortunately, they are a dying breed. One-of-a-kind or very limited edition pens decorated by specific artists will maintain and increase in value over time.

  3. Urushi as a protective coating has been in use over 8,000 years and, in Japan, was a commonly applied material before the advent of plastics and modern mass production applications. It is still used on lacquerware and all lacquerware from Wajima uses Japanese urushi, which is supposedly of a higher quality than that obtained from China or Taiwan. Urushi, with the addition of natural pigments, can come in a number of colors. There is nothing special to the selection of urushi types, only in the preparation and application of the material. Outside of the nib, the cost of an urushi coated pen is directly related to the preparation and application time and quantity of pens being produced.
  4. Makie is an applied art form. Screen applied designs are too. Screen printing is not makie. Both need to be appreciated and valued for what they are, and the subjective aesthetic value they convey. Screen applied artwork on pens is intended for mass-production and rarely is only one, or a very small run done. Most of the so-called makie one sees in Japan is screen-printed, from simple chopsticks to elaborate boxes. Over time dumbing-down of most anything can occur, and screen printing can be viewed in this context. It is but an effort to make an exclusive art form available to the masses.
  5. Several people have asked me about getting a custom pen made. Anyone can have a pen designed, prepared, lacquered, and decoration applied. One only needs to find the proper craftsman and pay an appropriate fee. Knowledge of Japanese is extremely helpful and direction to appropriate craftsman is needed.
  6. It is my opinion most do not understand what it takes to produce a quality makie lacquerware bowl, tray, or pen. The best analogy I might make is retaining a great artist to create a work for you. Only when someone can understand the time and effort (and translate that to cost) that goes into the work, can it be truly appreciated.
  7. My feelings about Japanese crafts are again validated. My connection with Japan goes back over thirty years and, longer if you can understand karma. One foot has always been set in Japanese culture, language, history, religion, and society and the other here in America. This trip to Japan has granted me fresh appreciation for both. With luck we will be able to return soon.

    My next report will be from Takayama and will include real pen stuff and great pictures of Japan.

    Some pictures:

Chinkin Artist


Chinkin Artist

Dragon done in Chinkin technique

Dragon done in chinkin technique

Cup with pine needles


Cup with pine needles. The design is intended to show pine needles dropped from above. There are hundreds of individual pine needles on the tea container

A finisher at work

A finisher at work

 


All are over 100 years old and in perfect condition.


Some works for sale


From where it all begins – a bucket of urushi

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