Kutani
Kutani is a style of Japanese porcelain which was first produced in the mid 1650s in the area of Kanazawa, Komatsu, Kaga, and Nomi in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Goto Saijiro, a member of the Maeda clan, set up a kiln in the village of Kutani (now part of the city of Kaga) on the order of Maeda Toshiharu, ruler of the Kaga domain. The porcelain style is known for multiple colors—such as greens, blues, yellows, purples, and reds—and bold designs covering most of the surface of each piece.
Urushi
Lacquer Tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum or formerly Rhus verniciflua), also called Varnish Tree, Japanese lacquer Tree, Japanese Varnish Tree and Japanese Sumac, is a species of genus Toxicodendron (formerly Rhus) that grows in East Asia, in regions of China, Korea and Japan. The trees are cultivated and tapped for their toxic sap, which is used as a highly durable lacquer to make Chinese, Korean and Japanese lacquerware.
Woodwork: Making of the Knight
Kutani Painting
Kutani is a style of Japanese porcelain which was first produced in the mid 1650s in the area of Kanazawa, Komatsu, Kaga, and Nomi in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Goto Saijiro, a member of the Maeda clan, set up a kiln in the village of Kutani (now part of the city of Kaga) on the order of Maeda Toshiharu, ruler of the Kaga domain. The porcelain style is known for multiple colors—such as greens, blues, yellows, purples, and reds—and bold designs covering most of the surface of each piece.
Chess Table: Gold Makie
The squares on the chess board were painted in red ochre “bengara” lacquer over the dry black lacquer surface of the table. Before red ochre begins to dry a fine gold dust is sprinkled over. As well as this gold maki-e, silver inlay and gold leaf squares were also worked on the black lacquer.
Chess Table: Black Urushi
Priming of the wooden base is performed to guard against warping and shrinking. First the base is “fixed” by applying a coat of diluted raw lacquer and drying, to help the wood soak up subsequent layers of lacquer. Next a mixture of raw lacquer and rice glue is applied and washi paper stuck on to add strength. A paste known as sabi, made by kneading together jinoko (powdered clay), raw lacquer, and polishing powder, is applied thinly using a spatula. After drying for around a night and a day, the piece is smoothed by water grinding using a grindstone. This series of priming steps is known as hon-kadaji.
Pieces: Gold Makie
Maki-e work takes its name from the way pictures are rendered in sprinkled (maki) powder. A base coating of lacquer mixed with bengara (iron oxide pigment) to form colored “e-urushi” is applied. The maki-e craftsman then fills a reed tube with gold powder and lightly taps it with a finger to sprinkle the powder. Finer details are completed using a brush, and the piece dried. The maki-e is then fixed with a topcoat of lacquer, ground and polished to add further depth to its shine.
Pieces (Queen): Gold Leaf
To apply the gold leaf, first a thin coating of raw lacquer is applied with a brush, then a light-as-air piece of leaf carefully stuck on the lacquer using special bamboo tweezers. Keshifun powder made from finely pulverized gold leaf is then sprinkled on using silk wadding. Once dry, it is coated with a thin layer of raw lacquer.
Pieces: Black Urushi
Achieving the shiny jet-black lacquer coating starts by using charcoal to polish the surface smooth. As with other lacquers, black lacquer is filtered through washi paper before applying to remove any minute impurities. Dust is the greatest enemy of the lacquering process. Once started, the task of applying the lacquer is completed in a single session, and any specks of dust adhering to the lacquer removed carefully one by one using a pin. Drying takes two to three days.
Pieces: Fuki Urushi
Fuki-urushi is a lacquering technique that highlights the beauty of the woodgrain to exquisite effect. Raw lacquer is diluted and brushed on the wooden base. Once the piece has been coated evenly all over, excess lacquer is wiped off using a paper towel or similar. The piece is then dried. This process is repeated about fifteen times, eventually resulting in a high gloss that emanates from the depths of the lacquer-impregnated grain, giving it a distinctive sheen.