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Tracking the
Origin of Yamanaka Lacquerware
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| The origin of Yamanaka lacquerware can
be traced to the Tensho Era (1570-1592). Everything started
with a woodturner, who moved from Echizen to Manago Village,
about 20 km up from Yamanaka along the Taiseiji River.
He brought the woodturning techniques to the area. |
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An old record says that villagers in
Manago were granted the privilege of forestry in the
Kutani Village dominion by a mura-goin document
(an authorization by Daiseiji-Han (feudal clan))
in 1658. Manago had only 17 households then, and one
may wonder why such a privilege was given to this small
village. The fact was that Manago villagers claimed
themselves to be descendants of the houses of Furukawa,
Kuratani, and Daidomaru, all of whom had served Prince
Koretaka. The villagers even held an imperial charter
(an imperial rescript carried down by allegiants) to
prove that. Even today, Manago Village maintains the
charter, lanterns with chrysanthemum, and diadems.
No concrete evidence is available to
prove how woodturning was brought from Manago to Yamanaka.
Considering what we now know about the situation then,
it may be a reasonable guess that some Manago villagers
had moved to Yamanaka to live on selling woodturnings
to the visitors to the hot springs.
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| Since then, the prosperity of the Yamanaka
lacquerware industry has been built by the efforts of excellent
craftsmen, including lacquerer Yoshizo Aizuya in the Tempo
Period (1830-1844), itomebiki (weave-like pattern woodturning)
specialist Heibei Minoya in the Koka
Period(1844-1848), and kashokubiki (decorative woodturning)
specialist Ryotaro Tsuiki in more recent
times. |
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Expanding Markets by Introducing New Materials
| At first, the products were white-wood
souvenirs for visitors to the hot springs. In the beginning
of the Edo Era, between the Keian Period (1648-1652) and
the Bunka Period (1804-1818), famous master craftsmen
were invited from all over Japan. Many of the techniques
that have been passed down were developed at that time,
including sensujibiki (thousand-line woodturning),
shudamenuri (vermillion lacquer coated with transparent
lacquer), komanuri (concentric circles of colorful
lacquers), and ironuri (colorful lacquerware).
From mere souvenirs to artistic lacquerware - Yamanaka
lacquerware became an authentic local industry. For a
long time, the primary products had been wooden tableware.
Around 1958, some Yamanaka lacquerware incorporated plastic
materials. Plastic lacquerware could be produced at low
cost, and could feature a range of designs and functionalities,
further expanding the market. Since then, both wooden
and plastic Yamanaka lacquerware products have been supplied
in response to demands in Japan and from other countries.
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Making Products
to Meet Needs
| At present, the industrial complexes
for Yamanaka lacquerware are in Yamanaka-cho and Kaga-shi.
A mass-production system has been established based on
the sharing of tasks to handle different manufacturing
processes. Efforts are being made to develop new products,
including tableware and interior pieces, to meet people's
life styles that are becoming increasingly diverse and
unique. Yamanaka lacquerware has entered new fields including
gifts and bridal goods. Yamanaka has thus become a major
production site, achieving the top production value among
the local industries of Japan. Based on 400 years of history
and tradition, Yamanaka will continue to develop new materials
and markets using the latest technologies, and aggressively
promote creation of products that meet the needs of the
era. |
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