60th Anniversary Exhibition of Kagawa Prefecture lacquer Institute has been held.

Originally lacquer coating strongly robust heat and humidity, because it is resistant to acid and alkali, and has been used as paints and adhesives and waterproofing agents.

In addition, Urushi is provided with a unique texture and luster, unique beauty is consistent with the aesthetics of Japanese, many of lacquer ware has been created.

Lacquer ware completed through green body process to create a foundation and the underlying process for shaping the green body, coating step of repaint the lacquer on the underlying surface, the process over the long trouble of decorating process to put the pattern on the lacquer surface.

urushi

Recently, chemical paint has been used as an indoor paint, but can cause sick house syndrome by solvent evaporates. Lacquer has the property of drying themselves unlike science paint. Also, once it completely dry, you do not have poison ivy. Lacquer is as natural paints, has been attracting attention as health friendly paint of environment and people.

How the lacquer to dry (the lacquer dries as fast as the day of rain)

Lacquer of the main component is a resin content of urushiol.

The ratio of urushiol ingredient rises as good lacquer.

Temperature if become humid, an enzyme (laccase) included in the urushiol is activated, and take in oxygen from atmospheric water, and, by an oxidation reaction with the urushiol, constitute a huge macromolecule of the halftone plate structure scientifically.

It changes from a liquid into a solid on the appearance.

It is said, "lacquer dries" in this course.

The lacquered drying is not a phenomenon that water evaporates and dries, and it means that an enzyme makes a macromolecule.

Temperature (around 25 degrees) and the humidity (around 75%) necessary to let an enzyme activate are necessary so that lacquer dries.

Therefore the lacquer dries early because an oxidation reaction promotes it as the season of high temperature and humidity in the rainy season.

 The lacquer dries early as a day of the rainy weather.

 It becomes sealing up structure that the lacquer bath puts the board of a hinoki and the cedar and enhances protection against dust, thermal insulation, an effect of the humidity retention, and temperature and the humidity that are most suitable for lacquered drying come to be found.

【漆が乾燥するしくみ（雨天の日ほど早く乾く）】
漆の主成分はウルシオールという樹脂分で、フェノール系の物質。上等な漆ほどウルシオール成分の割合は高くなります。温度や湿度が高くなると、ウルシオール中に含まれている酵素（ラッカーゼという）が活性化し、空気中の水分から酸素を取り込み、ウルシオールとの酸化反応によって、科学的には網目構造の巨大な高分子を構成します。外見上では液体から固体へと変化します。この課程を「漆が乾く」といいます。漆の乾燥とは、水分が蒸発して乾くという現象でなく、酵素が高分子を作るということです。

漆が乾くためには、酵素を活性化させるために必要な温度（25度程度）と湿度（75%程度）が必要です。そのため、梅雨時の高温多湿の季節ほど酸化反応が促進するので、漆は早く乾燥します。雨天の日ほど漆は早く乾燥するのです。漆風呂（うるしぶろ）は檜や杉の板を貼って防塵、保温、保湿の効果を高める密閉構造になっており、漆の乾燥に最適な温度と湿度が確保されるようになっています。

Tapping lacquer

[Tapping lacquer]

Tapping lacquer means craftsman damages the lacquered tree trunk which grew up and repeat picking the sap which oozed out.

This work is performed from about the middle of June through the end of October while watching weather and the situation of the tree.

§  　　In the Middle Ages, common people must put the lacquer as a tribute like rice, silk and those were recorded an investigation to a place and the number that the lacquered tree grew at a government office.

It stirs the KIURUSHI which removed small pieces of wood from the gathered lacquer, and do an ingredient homogeneously; "NAYASHI". Next, it heats and vaporize water "KUROME", it is to refinement lacquer with the viscosity in semitransparent reddish yellow.

It becomes the vermilion lacquer when you add red colors such as the red ocher to purified lacquer and it becomes the black lacquer when you add, iron powder and iron hydroxide. Many wooden bowls or bowls are made with vermilion lacquer and black lacquer.

Recommend video 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87dGyvRCKAM

【漆掻き】
成長した漆の木の幹に傷をつけ、にじみ出てきた樹液を掻き採る作業を繰り返します。この作業を漆掻きといいます。この作業は、6月中旬頃から10月下旬にかけて、天候と木の状況を見ながら行われます。

中世では、漆は米・絹などと同様、年貢として納めなければならないものであり、漆の木の生えている場所と本数までも役所で調査・記録されていました。 採取した漆から木屑等を取り除いた生漆を攪拌して成分を均質にする「なやし」、加熱して水分を蒸発させる「くろめ」の作業を行うと、半透明の飴色で粘度のある精製漆になります。精製漆にベンガラ等の赤色顔料を加えると朱漆、鉄粉や水酸化鉄を加えると黒漆になり、朱漆と黒漆を使って多くの椀や鉢などが作られます。

Refinement of Japanese lacquer

【漆の精製】
漆の木から採取したままの漆は、木屑やごみなどが入っているうえ、質が均一でなく、水分が多すぎます。攪拌機（かくはんき）でかきまぜながら、熱を加えて水分を少なくします。それが漆の精製です。精製することによって、漆の用途は広がります。
木屑やごみをろ過したものを生漆（きうるし）と呼びます。


The lacquer gathering from a lacquered tree are contained some small piece of wood or garbage and quality is not equality with a high water. It add heat and reduce water while stirring it with a stirrer. It is the lacquered refinement. The lacquered use spreads by being refined.
It is called “KIURUSHI” which filtered a small piece of wood and garbage.



I found the movie about refinement of Japanese lacquer from youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiZpDblfRT4

Japanese lacquer tree

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　【漆の木】

漆の木は、日本・朝鮮半島・中国などの東アジア、さらにベトナム・タイ・ミャンマーなどの東南アジアにわたって広く分布しています。
日本では、九州から北海道まで広範囲に成育する落葉樹です。大きいものは、高さ10m、直径30～40cmにも達します。
6月中旬に黄緑色の小さな花を咲かせます。雌花と雄花があり、風や蜂によって受粉し結実します。蜂の巣が、樹木の枝からぶら下がることができるのも、蜂は漆の接着力の強さを知っていたのかもしれません。

[Lacquer tree]

The lacquered tree is distributed over East Asia such as Japan, the Korean Peninsula, China and Southeast Asia such as Vietnam Thailand Myanmar.

In Japan, it is a deciduous tree growing up widely from Kyushu to Hokkaido. The big trees reach 10m in height and 30-40cm in diameter.It makes a yellowish green small flower bloom in the middle of June. There are a female flower and a male flower and that is pollinated by wind and a bee and bear fruit. 

It may be that the bee knew the strength of the lacquered adhesive strength that a hive can hang from the branch of the tree.

About Urushi

【漆とは】
漆とは、漆の木に傷をつけた時、そこから分泌・浸出する樹液のことをいいます。
植物を含む全ての生物には、個体維持の本能があります。漆の木に傷をつけると、その傷口から乳白色の液体（漆）がにじみ出ますが、樹液を掻き採らなければ、傷口をふさぐように、そのうち漆は黒く変色して固まります。人間の血液と同じように、漆もこのようにして樹液を保護するわけです。

樹液の採取は、樹齢10年以上のものを対象として行われます。10年もので1本の木から1年間で200グラム程度採れます。これは汁椀をわずか数個ほど作る量なのです。
商品として精製された日本漆は、非常に貴重で高価なものです。漆掻き職人は、「漆の一滴は血の一滴」とよんで大切に扱います。日本の農山村から漆の木がほとんど消失した現在、日本で使用される漆の大半は中国産となってしまいました。


【About Urushi】

     When you damaged a lacquered tree, the lacquer means secretion, sap leaching out from there.

   The plant have instinct of the individual maintenance. A milky-white liquid (lacquer) oozes out from the wound when you damage a lacquered tree, but the color of the lacquer  changes black soon and hardens to block up the wound if you rake sap and do not adopt it. In the same way as human blood, the lacquer protects sap in this way, too.

    The collection of the sap is carried out trees which is more than ten years old. I can adopt around 200 grams from one tree. This is quantity to make a bowl only approximately several.

    

    It is very valuable, and the Japanese lacquer purified as a product is expensive. The tapping lacquer craftsman calls "the lacquered drop a drop of the blood" and treats it carefully. 


    Lacquered most used in Japan at the present when most of the lacquered trees disappeared from the farming and mountain village of Japan so it becomes from China.


http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/sitsugei/history/urushi.html

About a production process of the lacquer ware

漆工芸品の制作工程に関して

漆というと、値段が高いイメージがあると思いますがどうして高価格になりやすいのか、今まであまり詳しく書いてこなかったので少し漆について書いていこうと思います

まず、漆工芸品の製作には時間と費用が結構かかります。結局のところこれらが高価格になる理由なのですが、ではなぜ時間とコストがかかるのかについて制作工程を書いてみようと思います。

About a production process of the lacquer ware

I think that there is an expensive image about lacquer ware. Why lacquer wares are expensive?

It takes a lot of time making that and lacquer is also high price.

I’m going to write down detail about a production process of the lacquer ware.

Choushitsu

article about urushi

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2014/07/31/arts/lacquerwares-overseas-journey-into-the-arts/#.U946pxG0PiM

Lacquer Culture in Japan

Lacquering in Japan has a very ancient origin.Numerous lacquered items excavated from early "Jomon" sites prove that lacquer culture already existed in Japan by around 7,000 BC.

The introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century brought with it the art of lacquer-ware-making from China, later to be assimilated and transformed into various sophisticated skills unique to 
Japan. 

In 17th century Europe,lacquer objects from Japan, particularly ones with an intense black 
lacquer background and refined gold work, were highly valued. 

The beauty of gold-against-black decoration fascinated Europeans so much that they used the word "japan"when referring to these lacquer works.
Natural lacquer is the sap tapped from lacquer trees, which grow wild in East and Southeast 
Asia. 

The lacquer tree growing in Japan is called "urushi", the purified sap of which is of very high 
quality and suitable for the finest lacquer work.
In this respect natural lacquer far surpasses artificial ones. That's why the instructors and 
students of this traditional art use only natural lacquer at this Institute.

Lacquering and Decoration Techniques 
First, the object to be lacquered, usually made of wood, bamboo,or other materials, is covered 
with hemp cloth to prevent the surface from cracking. 

Next follows the application of raw lacquer mixed with powdered clay to fill and make smooth 
the textile surface and strengthen the object's body. 
Then several lacquer coatings, initially rough and then of increasing fineness,are applied.

After each application, the object is placed in a special cabinet which maintains a 
temperature of 25-30℃ and a relative humidity of 75-80% for the proper hardening of 
the lacquer. 
After each coating has hardened, the surface is polished until it becomes smooth.
A special kind of charcoal is used for this purpose.

For decoration, the lacquered surface is engraved with various types of blades to produce 
aesthetic design, a process where the highest skill is required.
Whether the incised design is left untouched or filled with some kind of material and polished 
depends on the decorating style employed. 

Polishing is the last stage. Raw lacquer for polishing is first applied with a cotton cloth and then rubbed off with "washi"paper.After hardening, the finishing surface is scoured with a special 
polishing wax, which is a mixture of oil and powdered deer horn. 
Through repeated rubbings the lacquered article attains the brilliance and luster peculiar to 
Japanese lacquer ware.


from my school website: http://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/sitsugei/history/e01.html

Bracelet 5

Bracelet 4