Preserving Urushi Tradition and Craftsmanship in Japan’s Ancient Forests
Japanese lacquer is one of the most prized products from the urushi tree. In the old days, abundant urushi tree farms thrived throughout Japan, sustaining a flourishing lacquer craft industry. However, post-war Japan shifted its forestry focus to growing larger timber like cedar and hinoki for housing construction. With economic recovery, the consumer market further moved towards cheap, mass-produced plastic home goods, hence the demand for lacquerware declines.
Fast forward to 2024, Japan now has only a few urushi forests managed by a small, dedicated community of independent foresters, often just 5-10 people. Many are abandoning their labor-intensive, low-yield urushi forests, leaving thousands of trees in the hands of an even smaller group with fewer resources.
Shiro Yanagi 柳詩郎 is one of the very few young artisans in Japan who has devoted his career to cultivating urushi trees in historic urushi forestry town Daigo. He grew up in a household of ceramists and have great appreciation for nature and crafts.
Yanagi's role as an “urushi-kaki-te,” or lacquer scraper, involves more than just harvesting sap. Yanagi’s work also includes maintaining and preserving the entire forest. He trims and clears the forest to ensure the trees have an ideal nurturing environment and monitors each tree for diseases and pests. After the urushi sap is harvested, the tree must be cut down. The health of one tree determines the health of its growing cycle, as a new tree sprouts from the same roots, continuing its beautiful circular journey. This regenerative process exemplifies the harmonious relationship between the urushi trees and the artisans who care for them, ensuring that the tradition of lacquerware can be preserved for future generations.
Literally, each tree has been touched by the hands of Yanagi. The cut-down, 10-year-old trees are too small and soft for furniture and construction, and the resin residue makes them unsuitable as firewood. Seeing the tree trunks lying on the ground, he wants to find ways to make something beautiful and useful from them, ensuring his urushi trees serve even more purposes in people's homes.
Yanagi gets creative with the remaining trunks and stumps, turning them into kuksa cups and camping tables. To create the perfect finish for these crafts, he coats the wood objects with sap from the same tree. Yanagi has perfectly captured the essence of urushi tree and presented in a wood cup that fits snuggly in one’s palm, where one can directly feel the blessings given by the 10-year-old urushi tree.
With shortage of urushi foresters and increase in forest abandonment, urushi foresters find themselves ever more sucked into the whirlpool of overwhelming work. When Yanagi’s most loved forestry master Yuzo Tobita passed away in 2023 while tending the forest, there was very little time to grief, but to quickly pick up the work (and the 4000 trees) that his master left behind. After all, nature’s clock keeps going. And continue taking utmost care for the trees would be grieving in the most respectable way to a lost Master.
Come see and learn: the World of Urushi Forestry
It takes a lot of courage and determination to continue the path as a urushi forester. Partnering with Yanagi and his forester community, we are opening the door to invite you to the world of urushi forestry. Deep-dive and learn kintsugi and lacquer craft using this magical raw material, and meet Yanagi and fellow foresters in person. Discover the care that goes into their work and change your perspective about this “liquid gold”. You will realized this is much more than just paint in a tube.
Your exclusive access to premium Daigo urushi is here.
Be a part of the initiative to raise awareness about the environmental significance of urushi forests and the need to support the artisans who dedicate their lives to this noble cause.
Exclusively available in our store, Daigo Premium Ki-urushi invites you to elevate your kintsugi and lacquering projects with the unique touch of Daigo's skilled foresters. Experience the tradition and quality in every brushstroke.
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