Wagae-nuri

nihongo|Wagae-nuri|和賀江塗 is a traditional lacquerware of Japan created by Michiko Suganuma (b1940).

History

Its history goes back to only a quarter of century, however it’s directly descends from traditional Kamakura-bori of more than 800years.
Michiko Suganuma has learnt Kamakura-bori (wood carving part only) after graduated from Joshibi University of Art and Design.But fifteen years later she became a contemporary technologist of lacquer coating Wagae-nuri name borrowed from Wakae Island where she lived nearby.

Transition period of 20th century & 21st century

The period of Michiko’s transition was like the dawn of the Kamakura-shogunate age.On lacquerware, the technique of producing was to coat lacquer so many times and to carve dried-lacquer afterward till just before the beginning of Kamakura period.However, the then lacquering craftsmen thought up a new design of carving wood first and coating urushi lacquer later. That’s the origin of Kamakura-bori.
Michiko Suganuma has produced number of original Kamakura-bori lacquerware.Upon exhibiting own lacquerware of ten at National Gallery of Victoria, she became a Wagae-nuri creator.On top of being elegance and grace, the feature of Kamakura-bori were spilit of simplicity and fortitude.In addition, Michiko Suganuma thought there must be something striking about her own creating lacquerware.That striking moment was the birth time of Wagae-nuri.

Feature and style

There are some features and styles in lacquer Wagae-nuri.

Cinnabar Red

Creative Urushi-ware Artist Michiko Suganuma produced the first model of Cinnabar-red lacquerware the coating method basing on Kamakura-bori technique was named Wagae-nuri and introduced at the National Gallery of Victoria.Another Wagae-nuri for the gallery was the delivered transparent lacquerware of Michiko’s.

Negoro-nuri Style

The undercoat color gradually rose to the surface of the object, people used to call Negoro.The color of the lacquerware was red, but particular goods of Negoro-temple were produced by not best craftsman and were freely used every day. The temple was so easily using the utensils of lacquer for the lower class priests that the undercoat color broken out the surface.This is the origin of Negoro-nuri.
Michiko Suganuma creates red with black and the reverse, black with blue , red with yellow, black with green, green with yellow and so on. Showing the undercoat color depends on the hand power of craftsman.

hin-nuri (enamel) & the Contrary (dullness)

Here is another superb technique of Michiko Suganuma.One is to create cinnabar-red and the other is to finish in two ways.One way is to smooth the coating surface like brilliant enamel and second way is to leave the dullness of like unpolished silver.The most important point of Michiko’s lacquerware is that every surface of object should go as smooth as possible without hitch.

References

* Michiko, Suganuma. [http://lacquer.tafejapan.com "Japanese lacquerware Wagae-nuri"] .