J ● T| Japanese Traditions and culture

The famous and traditional Japanese craft work “Shikki or Sikki” (lacquer ware).
The Japanese lacquer (urushi) is sometimes referred to as “japan” and the lacquered (japanned) ware is popular with even collectors overseas. It is one of Japan’s proud heritage.
Shikki is made by applying urushi which contains mainly a kind of tree resin named “Urushiol” and also consists of water, rubber and an Enzyme.
The content of elements in urushi differs according to the environment in which the urushi is harvested. Urushi of different quality is extracted from various countries.

As urushi is natural resin, its viscosity and ease in dehydration are affected by location, climate, season, and the year it was extracted.
It is important to understand the quality of various kinds of urushi and mix them according to your purpose.
For example, the ratio of Urushiol in urushi differs so much between Japan and Vietnam, the urushi gathered in Japan contains as twice Urushiol as the one gathered in Vietnam.

Let’s study more about urushi craft!↓↓↓

The reason why it is said the Japanese urushi has the best qality when used in Japan is that the urushi gathered in Japan has the nature suited to Japanese climate.

Various kinds of “Shikki” in Japan.
Aizunuri…Fukushima prefecture
Naruko Shikki…Miyagi prefecture
Kiso Shikki…Nagano prefecture
Odawara Sikki…Kanagawa prefecture
Echizen Shikki…Fukui prefecture
Kanazawa Shikki…Ishikawa prefecture
Wakasanuri…Fukui prefecture
Wajimanuri..Ishikawa prefecture
Kishu Sikki…Wakayama prefecture
Kyo Shikki…Kyoto prefecture
Kagawa Shikki…Kagawa prefecture
Ryukyu Shikki…Okinawa prefecture

The major lacquer ware is a bowl for Japanese soup or cooked food.
First cut on the surface of Japanese lacquer tree and then gather the milky white sap, that’s the source of urushi liquid.
This liquid is then filtered and got rid of barks, and called “Kiurushi”.
This is the source of general urushi and it can also be used as “Suriurushi”.

The Japanese lacquer tree is distributed in Japan, China, Southeast Asia and so on. Urushi had been made in some places in Japan before, but now 90 percent of urushi used in Japan is imported from China.
In general, the ware that is applied other paints like Cashew or Urethane is also called “Shikki”.

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If you want to experience urushi craft.
Hariyo Urushi Kougei Kyoushitsu (Taitoh-ku, Tokyo)
Sugimoto Kougei Kyoushitsu (Kanda, Tokyo)

If you want to buy beautiful Shikki..
Kuroeya (Nihonbashi, Tokyo)
Kimuraya Shikkiten (Tsukiji, Tokyo)