Urushi Lacquerware: How Japanese Lacquer Is Made

Why Lacquerware Lasts for Centuries

Have you ever picked up a bowl from the table and felt its deep gloss and warmth? Lacquerware is one of the traditional crafts Japan offers the world. Neither plastic nor metal, made only from natural wood and the natural coating urushi, it nonetheless holds a durability measured in centuries. Some surviving lacquer pieces have come down to us across thousands of years.

Why is it so strong? The answer lies in the chemistry of urushi itself, and in the dozens of stages of handwork craftspeople have accumulated. This article guides you carefully through the world of lacquerware — from the basics of what urushi is, through the whole sequence of wood base, coating, polishing and decoration, to the character of each region and how to bring lacquer onto a contemporary table.

What Urushi Is

A Natural Coating Taken From the Lacquer Tree

Urushi is a natural coating collected from the sap of a deciduous tree, the lacquer tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum). Growing wild across Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia, the tree releases a cloudy white sap when cut. That sap, carefully gathered and refined, becomes ki-urushi, raw lacquer.

Collecting it is work called urushi-kaki: a skilled craftsperson makes fine cuts in the bark and scrapes off, with a spatula, the sap that seeps out little by little. One lacquer tree yields only around 200 grams in a season. For that scarcity, and for the labour collection demands, urushi is also called "liquid gold."

Domestic Japanese urushi is produced in small quantities and is extremely expensive, so Chinese urushi circulates widely today. Even so, in traditional regions such as Wajima there are many craftspeople who insist on domestic urushi.

What Urushi Is Made Of, and How It Hardens

The main component of raw urushi is a polyphenol compound called urushiol, about 60–65% of the whole. The rest consists of water, polysaccharides, and the enzyme laccase.

The way urushi sets is a chemical process: oxidative polymerisation. The laccase in urushi uses oxygen in the air as a catalyst, bonding urushiol molecules to one another in succession. The polymer network formed by that bonding is what makes urushi extremely hard and strong.

What matters is that urushi hardens not through high-temperature drying but through moderate humidity and temperature. Around 70–80% humidity and 20–25°C is considered optimal, and craftspeople dry urushi in a dedicated humidity-controlled room called a muro. Once dry, the lacquer film is harder than plastic and chemically stable in the extreme.

Why Urushi Is Waterproof, Antibacterial and Heat-Resistant

A hardened urushi film has the following excellent properties.

• Waterproof　The polymer structure forms a dense film that water molecules cannot penetrate. Even filled with soup, the wood does not absorb water and the piece holds its shape.
• Antibacterial　Urushiol has a natural antibacterial and preservative action. Bacteria are slow to multiply on it even in use as tableware, so it stays hygienic over long service. This is one reason it has long been used for tableware, medicine containers and food storage.
• Heat-resistant　An urushi film withstands heat of around 100°C comfortably. It does not deform when hot soup is poured in, and its insulation means little heat reaches the hand.
• Acid- and alkali-resistant　It is also strong against acid and salt, so deterioration from food is rare.

These properties combined make lacquerware ware that "grows with use." Its gloss deepens over years of use, growing more beautiful — a charm particular to lacquer. → Pottery That 'Grows': How Ceramics Change With Use

How Lacquerware Is Made

Making lacquerware divides broadly into wood base, ground coat, coating, finishing and decoration. It differs by region and technique, but traditional lacquerware passes through 50 to more than 100 stages before it is complete.

The Wood Base: Building the Skeleton

The foundation of lacquerware is the kiji, the wood base. Materials are chosen to suit each use and each region's character — hinoki cypress, zelkova, magnolia, mulberry, horse chestnut. The base may be cut as itame, flat grain that makes the most of the pattern, or masame, straight grain that warps less; which is used depends on the form and purpose.

There are mainly two ways of making the base. One is Rokuro seikei (wheel throwing), in which wood is fixed to a turning wheel and cut with blades into round forms such as bowls and sake cups. The other is a technique called sashimono, joining boards of wood to make angular pieces such as stacked boxes and trays.

A finished base cannot be used as it is. Wood shrinks and deforms as it dries. So either thoroughly dried and matured timber is chosen, or a further drying period follows shaping. Whether this preparation is done carefully decides whether the finished piece distorts or cracks.

Because the base uses wood of natural origin, the grain differs from piece to piece. No two are the same, and enjoying a piece that is yours alone is one of its characteristics.

The Ground Coat: The Foundation of Strength and Beauty

Once the base is ready, the urushi stages begin at last. The first is shitaji, the ground. Invisible from outside once finished, the ground is one of the most important stages of all, deciding the strength and beauty of the piece.

First comes kigatame, hardening the wood: thinned urushi is soaked into the base to set the wood fibres. This prevents the wood from later absorbing moisture and swelling or shrinking.

Next, sabi-urushi — urushi mixed with diatomaceous earth called jinoko, or with tonoko polishing powder — is applied all over and dried. This is repeated many times, filling the unevenness of the surface. Flaws in the base, scratches and knots alike, are carefully filled too.

The ground stages alone, drying included, can take from several weeks to several months. In regions such as Wajima, where the ground is layered dozens of times, this stage is performed with particular care, and that is the secret of its overwhelming strength.

Middle and Top Coats: Layering the Coating Again and Again

With the ground in order, the work moves to the middle coat, nakanuri. Here more highly refined urushi than the ground uses is applied, evening the surface. After the middle coat dries, the surface is carefully polished with a water-wetted whetstone. This is mizu-togi, water polishing, smoothing fine unevenness so the next coat sits beautifully.

The final stage is the top coat, uwanuri. It uses uwanuri-urushi, the highest-quality urushi, refined by craftspeople over long periods. The top coat permits not the slightest dust or bubble. Craftspeople keep the coating room scrupulously clean, taking the greatest care that no airborne dust settles.

Brushes for the top coat are sometimes handmade from fine hair, devised so that urushi spreads evenly. After coating, the piece goes into the muro to dry under controlled humidity and temperature. The top coat is not always finished in one pass; polishing and coating may be repeated.

Polishing and Burnishing: Producing a Mirror-Like Gloss

After the top coat dries, fine unevenness and unevenness of gloss remain on the surface. The stages of polishing and burnishing finish these away.

Polishing uses whetstones, cutting the surface carefully with water or oil applied. It begins with coarse stones and moves gradually to finer ones, bringing the surface to a mirror smoothness. At the end comes sumi-togi, polishing with charcoal powder, which raises the evenness of the gloss.

When polishing is done, burnishing begins. Using kanokogo, powder made from burnt deer antler, or a polishing powder of ultra-fine abrasive mixed into oil, the surface is gently worked with cloth. Repeating this brings a deep gloss to the urushi surface. The shine particular to lacquerware, called tsuya, is produced by exactly this labour of polishing and burnishing.

Decoration — Makie and Raden: The Highest Techniques

Among the decorative techniques that put pictures and patterns on a lacquer surface, the most famous are makie and raden.

• Makie　A technique of drawing in urushi and, before it dries, sprinkling gold, silver or coloured powder to form a pattern. There are many kinds — hira-makie, togidashi-makie, taka-makie — according to how the powder is sprinkled and finished. Many designs take Japanese nature and the seasons as their motif, flowers and birds, pine and bamboo and plum, raising lacquerware to the level of art.
• Raden　A technique of shaving shell thin — abalone, green turban, white butterfly shell — and applying it to the lacquer surface for decoration in gloss and colour. The rainbow shimmer of the shell's inner face, combined with the black or vermilion of urushi, produces a beauty at once dreamlike and luxurious.

These decorative techniques demand skill so advanced that each supports a specialist profession of its own. When a craftsperson who has trained independently as a makie-shi or raden-shi joins the work of the coater, the finest lacquerware is complete.

The Character of Each Region

Lacquer regions exist all across Japan, each with its own history and technique. Here are the representative ones.

Wajima Lacquer, Ishikawa: Japan's Highest Peak

The city of Wajima in Ishikawa Prefecture is known worldwide as a lacquer region representing Japan. The greatest characteristic of Wajima lacquer is that jinoko, a diatomaceous earth found only near Wajima, is mixed into the ground, achieving a strength and thickness no other region can follow.

Wajima lacquer is made through a division of more than 100 roles — base turner, coater, makie artist, chinkin engraver — each craftsperson holding advanced specialist skill. "Wajima-nuri" is designated a national traditional craft, and hon-kataji Wajima lacquer, which gains gloss the more it is used, is a lifetime piece; that it can be repaired and restored is another great strength.

The price range is high, but this is lacquerware worth buying as "the ware of a lifetime."

Aizu Lacquer, Fukushima: Robust Ware Raised in the Northeast

Lacquerware in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture is said to originate in the Sengoku period, when Gamo Ujisato encouraged it to develop industry. Aizu lacquer developed as a region of everyday lacquerware, valuing practical robustness along with beauty of coating.

Its characteristics lie in its own technique called nagashi-nuri, and in painting designs particular to Aizu. Vivid Aizu lacquer, gold painting on a red ground, has been loved since the Edo period. In recent years Aizu lacquer in modern designs by young craftspeople has also drawn attention.

Kyo Lacquer, Kyoto: The Elegant, Refined Lacquer of the Capital

Lacquerware raised in the thousand-year capital of Kyoto is called kyo-shikki, and its elegance and delicacy set it apart from other regions. Nurtured by aristocratic culture from the Heian period and developed alongside the tea ceremony, Kyo lacquer is characterised by highly decorative techniques such as makie and gold work.

Its patterns are largely courtly — paulownia and bamboo with phoenixes, pine and bamboo and plum, the flowers of the four seasons — and it is still much used today as tea utensils and kaiseki ware. It is also one of the regions easiest to pick up while visiting Kyoto. On the ceramics raised in the same city, see also the article below.

• Kyo Ware and Kiyomizu Ware: Kyoto's Refined Ceramics

Yamanaka Lacquer, Ishikawa: The Village of Wood Turners

Within the same Ishikawa Prefecture, Yamanaka lacquer, centred on Yamanaka Onsen, is known as "the village of wood turners." Its skill in turning bases with Rokuro seikei (wheel throwing) is especially fine, and its ability to make thin, light bases is rated the best in Japan. In production of wood bases for tea utensils it holds the great majority of the national share.

In recent years young craftspeople making lacquerware that draws on traditional turning skill while adopting contemporary design have increased, and the appeal of a new Yamanaka lacquer is spreading.

Echizen Lacquer, Fukui: A Region With 1,500 Years of History

Echizen lacquer, centred on the city of Sabae in Fukui Prefecture, is said to hold more than 1,500 years of history, one of the oldest lacquer regions in Japan.

It produces a wide range, from daily tableware to professional ware, and is characterised by high practicality that values ease of use. Its output is among the largest of any lacquer region, and it is widely used in restaurants, inns and hotels across the country. The same Fukui Prefecture also holds a ceramic region counted among Japan's Six Ancient Kilns.

• Echizen Ware: The Plainest of the Six Ancient Kilns

Kinds of Lacquerware and How They Are Used

Lacquerware comes in many kinds, used in ways rooted deeply in Japanese food culture.

• Bowls and soup bowls　The most common form in lacquerware. Ideal for hot soups — miso soup, clear soup, zoni — and its high insulation means it does not grow hot in the hand.
• Jubako, stacked boxes　Ware indispensable for New Year osechi and for outing bento. Stacked in two, three or five tiers, they colour the table on days of celebration. A jubako in vermilion or black urushi with gold makie lifts the festive mood at a glance.
• Trays　A lacquer tray for carrying ware plays a practical role at the table and in the tea ceremony. The tea tray used to serve guests is a representative lacquer piece too.
• Chopsticks　Lacquered chopsticks combine lightness with a surface that does not slip. Coating wooden chopsticks in urushi increases durability, making them indispensable eating tools on formal occasions.
• Lidded bowls for simmered dishes　Lidded bowls much used at tea gatherings and in kaiseki cuisine, holding steamed and simmered food. At the moment the lid lifts, with the scent and the steam, the gloss of urushi stands out a further degree.

On choosing by kind of ware, see the articles below as well.

• Japanese Trays: Obon, Zen and How to Use Them
• Japanese Bowls Explained: Chawan, Donburi, Matcha Bowl
• Building a Japanese Dinner Set: What to Buy in What Order

Caring for Lacquerware: Handling It Correctly

Even fine lacquerware is damaged if it is not cared for correctly. To keep using lacquerware for a long time, note the following.

No Dishwasher, No Microwave

Avoid using a dishwasher or a microwave for lacquerware. The high-temperature, high-pressure water flow of a dishwasher damages urushi, clouding it white or causing it to peel. A microwave likewise: sudden temperature change can crack the lacquer film. Avoid long exposure to direct sunlight as well — ultraviolet light degrades urushi and the gloss can be lost.

When washing, use a neutral detergent diluted in lukewarm water and wash gently with a soft sponge. Metal scourers and hard sponges damage the surface. After washing, wipe the moisture away at once with a soft cloth or towel, then let it dry naturally.

Storage That Makes Lacquerware Last

In storing lacquerware, the ideal is to avoid dry places and keep it where moderate humidity is maintained. Too much damp, however, causes mould.

When stacking pieces for storage, place cloth or Japanese paper between them so they do not touch directly. This prevents scratches and rubbing. When storing in a drawer or cupboard too, choose a stable environment without sudden temperature change.

Newly used lacquerware can transfer colour at first. For the first several uses, avoid vinegared dishes and deeply coloured food; let it settle in before using it freely.

Lacquerware is also said to be "damaged by not being used." Rather than leaving it displayed on a shelf, using it regularly keeps the urushi "alive" and beautiful. Even when it is scratched or the lacquer peels, a craftsperson in the region or a specialist shop can re-coat it. This too is one of the great strengths of lacquerware.

Bringing Lacquerware to a Contemporary Table

Many people may hold the image that lacquerware is formal, for special days only, but bringing lacquer onto an everyday table in fact raises the quality of daily life.

Simply taking the morning miso soup from a lacquer bowl makes mealtime a little special. Because heat does not pass through readily, setting the piece down does not damage the table, and children and older people can use it with confidence.

It goes surprisingly well with Western food too. Laying bread and salad on a vermilion tray, standing cutlery in a black lacquer holder — bringing a Japanese note in quietly gives the table depth and warmth. → Japandi Ceramics: Japanese Pottery in Minimal Interiors

Lacquerware is welcomed as a gift as well. Giving "ware that lasts a lifetime" at a turning point — a wedding, a new home, a sixtieth birthday, Respect for the Aged Day — conveys deep respect and consideration for the recipient.

• For Gift｜Japanese pottery & culture
• Japanese Pottery as a Gift: What to Choose for Whom

For anyone wanting to find unique lacquerware by an individual maker, we recommend choosing at a gallery specialising in lacquer, or on an online platform such as Nokaze, where the piece comes with the background of its region and maker. Choosing while knowing a piece's story deepens attachment further still.

Bring to Your Table Lacquerware Born of Nature's Gift

Lacquerware is a craft Japan offers the world, born of urushi, a gift of nature, and of the countless handworks of craftspeople. The chemical strength of a natural coating taken from the lacquer tree; the fine sequence of stages built up in division between base turner, coater and makie artist; and the distinct beauty each region — Wajima, Aizu, Kyoto, Yamanaka, Echizen — has raised. All of this is concentrated into a single piece.

The reason it can be used for centuries is not durability alone. Gloss increases the more it is used, and a scratch can be mended: a culture of mending and going on using is what makes lacquerware more than a mere tool.

From a single daily bowl of miso soup to osechi on a special day, lacquerware goes on quietly conveying the Japanese sense of beauty in every scene of life. If you have never used lacquerware, why not take one piece in hand at this occasion? In its weight and its gloss, you will surely feel the work of craftspeople layered over long stretches of time.

Related Articles

Choosing by Type of Ware

• Japanese Tableware: The Complete Beginner's Guide
• Japanese Trays: Obon, Zen and How to Use Them
• Japanese Bowls Explained: Chawan, Donburi, Matcha Bowl
• How to Choose a Japanese Rice Bowl (Chawan)

Japan's Kiln Regions

• Japanese Pottery by Region: A Buyer's Map
• Kyo Ware and Kiyomizu Ware: Kyoto's Refined Ceramics
• Echizen Ware: The Plainest of the Six Ancient Kilns
• Mashiko Pottery: Where Japanese Folk Craft Still Lives

The Culture Behind the Ware

• The Philosophy Behind Japanese Ceramics
• Mingei: The Folk Craft Movement That Changed Pottery
• Seasonal Tableware in Japan: What to Use When
• How to Care for Japanese Ceramics: A Practical Guide

How to Buy Japanese Ceramics

• About Us｜Japanese pottery & culture
• Buying Japanese Pottery Online: What to Check First
• New Arrivals