Yamanaka Lacquerware Bulb: Hyacinth
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PRODUCT DETAILSA lacquered bulb form, held in the palmBulb: Hyacinth is a compact, lidded Yamanaka lacquerware object shaped in natural mizume-zakura wood and finished with lacquer. At 80 millimeters in diameter, 95 millimeters high, and 60 grams, it brings a small but...
PRODUCT DETAILS
Bulb: Hyacinth is a compact, lidded Yamanaka lacquerware object shaped in natural mizume-zakura wood and finished with lacquer. At 80 millimeters in diameter, 95 millimeters high, and 60 grams, it brings a small but sculptural presence. Supplied photography shows a deep blue-green surface, rounded body, and tapered lid.
USE & APPRECIATION
Place the closed piece on a shelf or side table where its rounded silhouette can be seen from several angles. Its 95-millimeter height gives it presence without taking over the setting, while the deep blue-green lacquered surface offers a restrained point of color among wood, paper, or plain fabric.

Set closed on a dark tabletop before a seated figure, the vessel gains clear human scale without being handled. The relaxed hands stay softly out of focus, keeping attention on the blue-green lacquer, rounded body, and tapered lid. This quiet human presence distinguishes the view from the existing object-only tabletop photographs.

Lift the tapered lid slowly and the bulb-like outline separates into two balanced forms: a rounded lower body and a curved cover with a narrow neck. The supplied photographs confirm this opening action and the dark interior. Handle both pieces with clean, dry hands and return the lid gently after viewing.

Turn the closed piece slightly under soft indoor light and follow how the photographed surface shifts from blue-green to near-black. Highlights reveal the rounded volume and the fine band around the lower body without adding ornament. Keep it away from direct sunlight, which the product master lists as a handling precaution.

Choose it for someone who values Japanese craft, natural wood, and objects that reward close looking. The confirmed mizume-zakura body, lacquer finish, compact dimensions, and 60-gram weight give you specific qualities to share. This offer is for one product body; decorative props and accessories are not part of the sale.

Outdoor use is marked as permitted, so the closed piece can join a brief, supervised moment on a stable table in the shade. Direct sunlight remains expressly prohibited. Bring it indoors after use, avoid prolonged submersion, and clean only with a soft cloth or sponge rather than anything hard or abrasive.

Seen alone on a warm red lacquered table, the closed piece presents its complete bulb-like silhouette without a hand or prop interrupting the view. The shallow depth of field keeps attention on the rounded body, narrow neck, blue-green surface, and fine decorative band while showing how compactly it occupies a furnished setting.

A hand holds the tapered lid above the lower body on the red table, making the object's two-part construction and dark interior immediately legible. The close view also shows the lid's curved profile and the lower section's decorative band. No contents are shown, so the photograph adds no unverified storage or serving claim.

Against a dark, finely textured tabletop, the closed object reads as a compact sculptural form. The subdued setting brings out the blue-green lacquer, rounded volume, and narrow neck while keeping the silhouette complete. Compared with the warmer red-table view, this photograph shows how the surface responds to a quieter interior palette.

In this close view, a hand raises the lid while the lower body remains stable on the dark table. The angle reveals the dark interior, rim, and smooth meeting line between the two parts. It complements the full closed views by showing the simple opening gesture without suggesting contents, capacity, or an unconfirmed use.

OBJECT PASSPORT / CARE & USE

When cleaning is needed, use a soft cloth or sponge and dry promptly before indoor storage. Do not use a dishwasher, microwave, oven, induction cooktop, refrigerator, or freezer. Outdoor use is permitted only with care; keep the piece away from direct sunlight, prolonged submersion, and hard scrubbers.
OBJECT PASSPORT
CRAFT HERITAGE
Yamanaka Lacquerware dates to the late 16th century, when a group of woodturners moved into the area in search of suitable timber and began shaping wood on lathes. The craft became established around Yamanaka Onsen.
By the middle of the Edo period, artisans were making everyday objects such as bowls and trays, as well as souvenirs for visitors to the hot-spring town. Lacquering and maki-e techniques were introduced in the early 19th century, laying the foundation for the raised Yamanaka taka-maki-e practiced today.
HOW IT’S MADE
Yamanaka Lacquerware is made through four principal stages: forming the wooden body, preparing the foundation, applying the final lacquer coat, and adding maki-e decoration.
Properly dried wood and precise turning help prevent distortion.
Although the foundation is hidden in the finished piece, it supports both the vessel's strength and the quality of the final lacquer surface.
The lacquer is built up through repeated coating and sanding, with curing carefully managed in response to humidity and weather.
MEET THE MAKER
MAKER · YAMANAKA, ISHIKAWA
YUIYU brings together the perspective of floral design and the accumulated skills of Yamanaka lacquerware. Its official concept describes organic forms learned from nature and new experiments in color, expressed as wooden lacquerware for contemporary interiors and daily life.

Naoko Tanabe is the floral designer behind YUIYU. She developed the brand to connect the traditions of Yamanaka with contemporary life, and to bring attention to the people whose work is often present in an object but absent from its story.
During the brand's development, Tanabe traveled repeatedly between Tokyo and Yamanaka Onsen. Color and form were not settled on paper alone. They were refined through prototypes and conversations with the craftspeople who understood how different woods, tools, and layers of lacquer would respond. When a color appeared uneven or brighter than intended, or a shape needed to work better in the hand, the design returned to the workshop for another round of judgment.
Yamanaka lacquerware is built through specialized work. One person may turn the wooden form on a lathe; others may refine lacquer, prepare the ground, or apply and wipe successive layers. YUIYU makes that collaboration part of the story rather than hiding it behind a single name.
Rokuro-biki, or lathe turning, gives the wood its balanced form. Fine sensuji lines may be cut into a rotating surface, creating rhythm through minute, repeated grooves. With fuki-urushi, lacquer is applied and carefully wiped back in repeated stages, allowing the grain of the wood to remain visible. The apparent simplicity of the finished object rests on a sequence of specialized decisions.
The name YUIYU repeats the Japanese character *yui*—to bind or connect. It expresses a wish to connect people, nature, culture, and the skills held in Yamanaka Onsen. The aim is not to make tradition appear modern by removing its history. It is to create a new reason for that history to remain in use: at the table, in a room, and in the rituals of everyday life.
Distance becomes smaller when the collaboration remains visible. Portraits and workshop photographs show the people and place behind YUIYU, while views of turning, sensuji carving, and fuki-urushi explain how specialist skills meet in one object. Together they make the brand’s division of labor visible without reducing the work to a single name.
We currently ship online orders to all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., including Alaska and Hawaii. U.S. territories and countries other than the United States are not currently included.
Estimated arrival is usually within 5–10 business days after payment and order confirmation. This is an estimate and not a guaranteed delivery date. Timing may vary because of the destination, carrier conditions, customs review, weather, remote-area service, or other circumstances outside our reasonable control.
Enter your delivery address at checkout to review the available delivery option, shipping charge, and complete order total before payment.
U.S. orders are shipped on a Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) basis, regardless of order value. Where duties, import taxes, or related import charges apply, the amount collected by BRAND JAPAN is shown at checkout. You should not ordinarily be asked by the carrier to pay those charges again upon delivery. If a carrier requests an unexpected import payment, do not pay it immediately; contact us with your order number and the carrier's notice.
If the parcel or item arrives damaged, contact us within 48 hours of delivery. For an incorrect or incomplete order, contact us within 14 days. Keep the item, outer box, inner packaging, and shipping label, and prepare photographs showing their condition. Do not return an item until we provide instructions.
Read the full Shipping Policy for carrier, address-change, delay, and undeliverable-shipment details.
Questions? Email store@brand-japan.ne.jp. Support hours are Monday–Friday, 10:00–18:00 Japan Standard Time, excluding Japanese public holidays.
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