〈FRAMA〉のスタジオと店舗は、コペンハーゲンの中心部にある歴史的保護地区・ニューボーダーに隣接した建物で、1878年創業の薬局〈St. Pauls Apotek〉跡地だ。この古い薬局の佇まいにインスパイアされて2016年に誕生したのが、〈FRAMA〉のアポセカリーコレクション《St. Pauls Apothecary Collection》。ハンドケア・ボディケア・ヘアケア・フレグランスを網羅したコレクションは、自然の素材を用い、天然由来のエッセンシャルオイルを使った香りで、すべての製品開発をコペンハーゲンのスタジオで行っている。
全国に巡回し、話題を呼んだ「渡辺直美展」のビジュアルや、星野源、Charaなどの人気アーティストのCD・DVDジャケットを手がけることでも知られる吉田ユニ。2016年から続く『装苑』の連載「PLAY A SENSATION」では、気鋭の女優やタレントとコラボレーションし、彼女たちのキャラクターを生かしたユニークな作品世界で、読者を驚きの世界へと導いている。
November 10, 2019 | Design | KASHIYUKA’s Shop of Japanese Arts and Crafts
Searching all of Japan for handcrafted items that express its heart and soul, our proprietor, KASHIYUKA, presents things that bring a bit of luxury to everyday life. This time she visits a workshop for <strong>Tsugaru-nuri, </strong> the traditional craft representative of Aomori prefecture. She comes face to face with this beautiful handcrafting process that requires lacquering, rasping, polishing and repeating, layer upon layer.
Apple orchards abound in the suburbs of Hirosaki City, Aomori prefecture, including the one just next to the Matsuyama Urushi Workshop, which KASHIYUKA paid a visit this time.
I’d become preoccupied with lacquer, having had the opportunity to learn kintsugi technique, by which pottery is repaired with the application of urushi lacquer. I was intrigued by the depth and lustrous beauty of lacquer. At that time I saw a lacquered bowl with a refined dotted pattern such as one usually sees in delicate kimono fabric. “How did this pattern come to be?” It turned out to be Aomori’s Tsugaru-nuri, and so that’s where I wanted to head.
Purchase No. 20【 URUSHI】 Lacquer is ground to reveal a delicate pattern in this charming northern region handcraft. The featured bowl was made with the traditional nanako-nuri technique, using red urushi lacquer and a rare orange pigment to create a snowflake pattern.
“The traditional craft of Tsugaru-nuri was developed during the mid-Edo period under the auspices of the Hirosaki Domain. Originally made to adorn the scabbards of swords and knives, the practice eventually extended to serving trays and bowls. In essence, the urushi is applied in layers, then the surface is evenly ground in such a way as to expose the pattern,” Mr. Tsugumichi Matsuyama of Matsuyama Urushi Kobo explained. The labor-intensive process is said to require as many as 48 steps to make a single bowl, and hasn’t been altered in more than three centuries.
A small implement forms patterns in the lacquer.
Now, while there are a variety of traditional urushi techniques, the one I was shown was “nanako-nuri”, which produces a delightful dot pattern. I was told that nanako was a word for fish eggs. There’s something awfully sweet about the naming sense that people had in times past!
First off, the artisan brushes lacquer onto the bare wooden surface. While the lacquer remains tacky, rapeseeds are applied to it. A dry “shara-shara” sound caresses my ears while that’s taking place.
With Mr. Tsugumichi Matsuyama.
“When the urushi fully dries, I scrape away the seeds with a sort of spatula, which leaves craters. It is then I overlay the black or red lacquer coat, followed by rasping away the surface to leave the ring-shaped patterns.”
I get that this pattern could only emerge from the painstaking work of “grinding” away at it. Perhaps that is why Tsugaru-nuri first appeared to me as simply gorgeous, but looking deeper I perceived in it a profound beauty.
“For example, in the Wajima-nuri style, patterns are painted on to the urushi layer. But with Tsugaru-nuri the pattern lies beneath the lacquer cover. You’ve no idea what pattern might appear until you begin to rasp away the surface; and once you begin, you can’t turn back to fix anything, so you never feel quite at ease. Each time out is anxiety-inducing.”
KASHIYUKA observes that “both color and luster have a depth to them.”
Though time and again the same method is applied to painting on the lacquer and grinding it down, each and every one will appear different. That brings a satisfying value to the work for the maker, and the joy of choice for the purchaser. And so this time around I decided on a soup bowl in the nanako-nuri pattern. The cute dots and round shape bring to mind an apple. Also attractive was the fact, as I was told, that “due to the many layers of lacquer, it resists breakage.” With such a bowl I imagine the many ingredients of my miso soup will taste all the more delicious.
Soup Bowl of Nanako-nuri / Tsugumichi Matsuyama
Above / A nicely plump soup bowl. After the rapeseeds are scraped away, orange-pigmented lacquer is applied, and a snowflake pattern is inscribed by mixing lacquer with aluminum powder. ¥25,000. Below / Monsha-nuri lacquered ohashi. These delicate ohashi feature white urushi lacquer on the bamboo surface using an alternate method of application. ¥3,000. Matsuyama Urushi Kobo TEL 0172 87 7553
KASHIYUKA
Yuka Kashino, known as KASHIYUKA, is a member of the electro-pop group Perfume. Their first “best of” album — Perfume The Best “P Cubed” — featuring 52 songs, was released to popular and critical acclaim. Also their new song "Saisei" is confirmed for digital release on Nov. 29, 2019. They’ll set off on their〈Perfume 8th Tour 2020 “P Cubed” in Dome〉in February 2020. Kashiyuka loves matcha, and is lately taken with matcha bowls by contemporary ceramicists.www.perfume-web.jp