Two-tier boxes

DISTINCTION Many techniques to create durability The most important characteristic of Wajima Lacquer Ware is the durability.Jinoko, a special product of Wajima, is coated before coating lacquer. The lacquer is coated 20 times. A total of 120 processes is the secret to bring the durability to Wajima Lacquer Ware. In addition, natural material like zelkovas and ate trres are used as raw materials. Nunokise, a process of applying flax cloths with lacqer on the outer contour of the ware, and jibuchihiki, a process to fortify the easy-to-be-damaged edges of the ware by applying lacquer with a spatula of hinoki bark, are the characteristic techniques to add durability.

Chinkin technique is perfected in Wajima. On the other hand Wajima Lacquer Ware has beautiful decoration. Wajima Lacquer Ware are appreciated nationally for their decoration of maki-e and chinkin. Maki-e is a decoration of drawing designs with lacquer and then sprinkling gold and silver dusts on the designs. It is said an Aizu maki-e artist came to Wajima to teach the technique to the locals. There are a number of maki-e techniques. Togidashi-maki-e is a technique to apply lacquer on the sprinkled gold dusts and then polish with charcoal. Hiramaki-e is sprinkling gold dusts on lacquer and pressing the gold dusts into lacquer. Takamaki-e is to raise the designs before applying gold dusts. Chinkin craftsmanship was developed by a carpenter who got a hint from an arabesque roof tile. The technique is to engrave a design with a graver. Lacquer is applied into the grooves and gold leaf is placed. The gold leaf is pressed into the grooves with cotton. Gold leaf appears only on the grooved lines. This art craft became is perfected in Wajima and is an ideal technique to create fine lines or fine dots.