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Urushi Studies

The Journal

Urushi Studies

漆

The craft of Japanese lacquer — the trees, the technique, and the workshops keeping urushi alive.

Hida Shunkei: The Transparent Lacquer That Shows the Wood Hida Shunkei lacquerware from Takayama: visible wood grain, warm transparent urushi, yellow and red grounds, and practical care.
Negoro-nuri: Japan's Red-and-Black Lacquer Tradition Negoro lacquer’s red-over-black surface, its connection with Negoro-ji, the patina of historical objects, and care for modern lacquerware.
Chinkin: The Sunken-Gold Carving of Wajima Lacquerware Chinkin decorates lacquer with engraved lines and points filled with gold leaf or powder. Explore Wajima’s technique, provenance, and care.
Tsugaru-nuri: Aomori's Layered, Polished Urushi Lacquerware Tsugaru-nuri from Aomori: layered and polished urushi, the kara, nanako, monsha, and nishiki styles, and care for lacquerware in everyday...
Yamanaka Lacquerware: Japan's Wood-Turned Urushi Tradition Explore Yamanaka lacquerware: woodturning, grain-revealing urushi, tea utensils, and the distinction between traditional wooden work and modern resin products.
Maki-e: The Japanese Art of Sprinkled-Gold Lacquer Maki-e lacquer decoration: Nara-period roots, flat, polished and raised techniques, provenance, and care for sprinkled-gold work.
Kishu Lacquerware: Wakayama’s Everyday Craft Tradition Kishu lacquerware from Wakayama: Kuroe, Negoro finishes, traditional wood and urushi, modern resin products, and care based on each piece’s...
Wajima-nuri: The Foundations of an Urushi Lacquerware Tradition Explore Wajima-nuri’s reinforced foundations, ji-no-ko ground layers and decorative techniques, with practical questions about materials, provenance and care.

Craft & Kilns

Deep dives into kilns, glazes, and the wares behind them.

Kutani plates, vase, teacup, and stoneware bowl displaying aote, akae, and gold enamel styles

Kutani

Kutani Ware History: Ko-Kutani, Yoshidaya, and Japan Kutani

Kutani village history, Arita evidence for Ko-Kutani-style porcelain, Yoshidaya’s revival, and Meiji exports—without dating objects from style or marks alone.

Equal-size red and blue Edo Kiriko tumblers with sharp kagome and yarai cut patterns

Kiln Study

Edo Kiriko: Tokyo Cut Glass, Its Patterns and Care

Pale Hagi ware teabowls, cups, and a sake flask arranged on a quiet Japanese table

Kiln Study

Hagi Ware: Yamaguchi Tea Ceramics and the Seven Changes

Blue-and-white Hasami porcelain bowls, cups, and plates set for an everyday meal

Kiln Study

Hasami Ware: Nagasaki Porcelain for Everyday Tables

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Care & Guides

Practical reading for the pieces you use every day.

View all care guides

Series

Four collections of stories on tea bowls, lacquer, color and care.

Teabowl Studies

Teabowl Studies

Reading the chawan — kilns, glazes, and how a bowl is held

Urushi Studies

Urushi Studies

The craft of Japanese lacquer, layer by layer

Color of Utsuwa

Color of Utsuwa

How Japanese ceramics found their palette

Object Care

Object Care

How to live with handmade objects

All Stories

Browse the Journal, newest first. For our specialist collections, visit Series above.

Textile stencil work with a wooden spatula; dye-pouring is a separate stage.

Chūsen: The Pour-Dyeing Craft Behind Tenugui and Yukata

The HandMade In Japan Fes 2026 hall at Tokyo Big Sight, filled with makers' booths and visitors

HandMade In Japan Fes 2026: Craft, Materials and Makers

A folded sheet of plain washi holding a pink wagashi sweet beside a celadon cup of green tea

Gifts & Occasions

Washi at the Tea Table: Where Paper Meets Ceramic

A papermaker's hands rocking a bamboo screen of white kozo pulp over a wooden vat

Hosokawa-shi: The UNESCO Paper of the Ogawa Valley

Hands holding a translucent sheet of washi up to window light, long fibers visible in the paper

What Is Washi? A Guide to Japan's Handmade Paper

Hana-Mishima-pattern donabe with floral decoration and its lid in place.

Banko Ware: The Mie Tradition Behind Japan's Donabe

Three small Japanese cups of Shizuoka green tea — cloudy sencha, thick jade gyokuro, and golden genmaicha — with loose leaf on linen.

Shizuoka Green Tea: How to Brew Sencha, Gyokuro & Genmaicha

Textured ceramic surface with pale flecks and flowing green-amber glaze.

Shigaraki Ware: Fire, Clay, and Japan's Six Ancient Kilns

The Lucie Rie exhibition signboard at the Art Deco entrance of Tokyo's Teien Art Museum.

Lucie Rie at Teien: Form, Glaze and the East–West Exhibition