Other Lacquering Techniques

Ro-iro Finish

Broadly speaking there are two main finishes in urushi. These are nuri-tate and ro-iro. Nuri-tate refers to a finish that is achieved by applying the final coat of urushi and doing no other work on it after it has dried. Ro-iro is a repeated process of rubbing urushi into the top coat and then polishing it. At the end, a final polishing is carried out using the skin of the hand until even the tiniest scratches have been removed. The resultant mirror-like finish which is unique to urushi sets off the gold and silver decorative work. As well as polishing work the ro-iro craftsman is also responsible for a number of other specialist techniques such as kawari-nuri and nashi-ji.

Kawari-nuri

Kawari-nuri refers to many kinds of lacquering techniques which are used to make interesting patterned or textured finishes. It was a very popular technique used historically on armour and sword sheaths. Nowadays it is mainly used on furniture and more affordable lacquerware. Tsugaru-nuri in Aomori Prefecture is famous for the mastery of these techniques. 
Usually tofu (soy bean curd) egg white or animal skin glue are used in a technique called shibo-urushi. The addition of a little protein into a uwa-nuri urushi makes it very viscous and slow drying which allows a raised pattern to be drawn with the mix. Coloured urushi is often applied on top and when dried, sanded through to reveal the pattern. One of the benefits of shibo-urushi is that it is very hard and difficult to scratch and is why it is a good choice for table tops.

Nanako-nuri

Nanako-nuri uses rape seeds sprinkled on to a wet uwa-nuri  ground and then left to dry. The seeds are then removed and coloured urushi is applied and when dry, sanded through to reveal a spotty ring pattern. This can be done with almost any small objects. As the urushi dries, it pulls up around the object making a kind of crater and it is this crater that creates the pattern.

Ishime-nuri

Ishime-nuri imitates the appearance of stone and uses charcoal powder or kinshitsuko. By sprinkling the charcoal powder unevenly, it is possible to get a mottled, stoney effect. The whole surface is then sealed with urushi and sanded which leave a matt, stone like texture.

Kanshitsuko

Kanshitsuko is made by applying several layers of urushi onto a glass sheet and when dried, scraping it off and grinding it into a fine powder. In this way you can have coloured urushi powders which can be used on their own or to add colour into a gold or silver maki-e design. Kanshitsuko is also a popular finish for table tops and chopsticks as it is very strong and scratch resistant.

Kanshitsu

Kanshitsu is a technique that was introduced from China in around the seventh century. It was traditionally used in the making of religious statues which can still be seen in a few temples in western Japan. It consists of applying multiple layers of hemp cloth to a mould making sure that each layer is thoroughly dried before applying the next. When a sufficient thickness is achieved, the mold can be removed and the finish applied. Nowadays this technique is widely used for making free forms and jewellery.

Harinuki

Hari-nuki is very similar to kanshitsu except instead of using hemp cloth as a body, washi is used. As washi is much thinner than hemp cloth, more layers are required before the mould is removed but it results in a very light weight structure. Hari-nuki tends to be used for small pieces such as incense containers

Ikkanbari

Ikkanbari is the technique of applying washi to a wooden or bamboo substrate. Usually more than one layer of washi is applied and it is done with a mix of rice glue and ki-urushi. This finish gives a warm, matt, leather like texture and is very popular in the world of the tea ceremony.

Kintsugi

Kintsugi has become a bit of a fad these days as it is a way of repairing broken ceramics even glass. The broken pieces are glued together using mugi-urushi and left to set for a couple of weeks then the cracks are carefully filled with sabi. This is then sanded flat and sealed withki-urushi, next the repair lines are covered with e-urushi and very fine gold, silver or platinum power is applied. When this has dried, it is then sealed and polished giving a broken pot a new look and a new lease of life.