Tamba Lacquer & Lacquer Forest

expert: lacquer artisan & NPO lacquer harvester

Why lacquer?

Japanese lacquerware is a centuries’ old tradition that evolved from ancient knowledge passed down from the Eurasian continent. Lacquer is a natural tree sap that can be used for a variety of uses. Resistant to moisture, heat, and anti-microbial, it has been used for waterproofing and creating foodsafe items, furniture, and tools. Its durability was widely praised and was used to reinforce armor and riding saddles. Samurai even used it to help rustproof weapons. In Buddhism and Shintoism, lacquer coating helped prevent rot in temples, shrines, and even to coat precious relics. Famously, lacquer is an integral part of kintsugi, the art of repairing pottery with goldleaf. The procurement of lacquer is extremely time-consuming, and the collection of high-quality sap is difficult. The process ultimately results in the death of the lacquer trees its being sourced from. Japanese lacquer harvesters and artisans understand the significance of this and respect the process and source of this ingredient. Japanese lacquer is known for its incredible quality. In fact, only about 5% of lacquer is Japanese lacquer, the bulk being harvested overseas. As a result most lacquerware products do not used Japanese lacquer. A very small percent will still have multiple base coatings with foreign lacquer, and only the final coat will be Japanese lacquer. And a tiny percent of lacquerware in Japan will be 100% Japanese lacquer.