Yamanaka Lacquerware Bulb: Mimosa

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.

About the Making Process

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.

1. Kiji (Wooden Body)

• Zelkova and Japanese horse chestnut are the principal woods. Each blank is cut vertically along the grain to minimize warping.
• The craftsperson shapes the wood on a lathe using handmade kanna and other turning tools. Advanced decorative turning may add sensuji grooves or zogan inlay.

2. Shitaji (Foundation)

• A mixture of lacquer and jinoko powder is applied and sanded.
• Repeating this process strengthens the wooden body and creates a smooth surface.

3. Uwanuri (Final Lacquer Coat)

• Black, vermilion, or another lacquer is applied with a brush.
• The final coat is applied with great care to prevent even the finest airborne dust from settling on the surface.

4. Maki-e

• Gold, silver, or other metal powder is sprinkled over motifs drawn in lacquer.
• Subjects range from traditional designs and scenes of nature to geometric patterns, creating a finely detailed decorative finish.

MAKER · YAMANAKA, ISHIKAWA

Yamanaka Lacquerware, Seen Through a Floral Eye

YUIYU brings together the perspective of floral design and the accumulated skills of Yamanaka lacquerware. The brand explores organic forms inspired by nature and new possibilities in color through wooden lacquerware for contemporary interiors and daily life.

Naoko Tanabe, Connecting Flowers and Craft

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.

Many Hands, One Object

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’s lacquerware takes shape through this collaboration among specialist craftspeople.

Techniques passed down in Yamanaka lacquerware include rokuro-biki, or lathe turning, which shapes the wood; sensuji, which creates fine grooves on a rotating surface; and fuki-urushi, in which lacquer is repeatedly applied and wiped back to reveal the wood grain. These techniques reflect specialist knowledge of wood and lacquer, together with the careful judgment of craftspeople.

Tradition as a Living Relationship

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.