Jōbōji Lacquerware: Daily Use Brings Out Its Beauty

The trunk of a lacquer tree is scored and the sap oozing from the cuts is collected. (Courtesy Ninohe City)

A lacquer tree plantation. Each tree produces only 200 milliliters (barely one cup) of sap a year. (Courtesy Ninohe City)

Urumi Kōgei’s showroom is a 15-minute walk from JR Morioka Station. The workshop itself is located in the nearby city of Takizawa. (© Shoepress)

Fujimura has mastered the time-honored skill of applying lacquer, a process involving over 40 steps. After a base coat is applied to the wood, lacquering and polishing are repeated. (Courtesy of Urumi Kōgei)

Jōbōji lacquer combines practicality and simple attractiveness. (Courtesy Urumi Kōgei)

The Urumi Kōgei showroom displays numerous lacquerware items in plain styles. (© Shoepress)

Two bowls sit side by side for comparison purposes. The one on the left is new; the one on the right has developed a reddish patina after 10 years of use. (Courtesy Urumi Kōgei)

A lacquer tree plantation in Jōbōji, where workers learn essential skills. (Courtesy Ninohe City)