Fukiurushi, Yamanaka lacquer ware

Fukiurushi (“lacquer-wiping”) is a process essential to showcasing the beautiful grain of zelkova and horse chestnut woods used in the making of Yamanaka lacquerware. It is also known as suriurushi (“lacquer-rubbing”). The latter term refers to the process of applying the lacquer directly to the wood, the former to the process of wiping it off. First the unfinished wood is brushed with lacquer using a horsehair brush, and after the lacquer has penetrated the wood, it is wiped with paper of long fiber and left to dry. These steps are repeated many times. The quality of the kiji, or base wood to which the lacquer is applied, determines the quality of the finished product, so it is the highly developed skills of the Yamanaka woodturners that make possible the gorgeous end products of fukiurushi.