What is
Yamanaka Lacquerware?

Yamanaka lacquerware is said to have begun about 400 years ago (Azuchi-Momoyama period). Yamanaka lacquerware is characterized by its wheel-thrown technique. Yamanaka Lacquer Ware is best known for its decorative grinding, which creates extremely fine stripes on the surface of the wood. Yamanaka Lacquerware also has a reputation for producing tea ceremony utensils, especially natsume (jujube), which are decorated with gorgeous high maki-e lacquerware.

The production process of lacquerware includes the processes of base, lacquering, and maki-e, and the lacquering process is further divided into base and top coating. There are three lacquerware production centers in Ishikawa Prefecture, each of which has its own characteristics and is called "Yamanaka for woodwork," "Wajima for lacquering," and "Kanazawa for maki-e.

Yamanaka is at the top of the domestic market in terms of quality and quantity of craftsmen in the field of lathe-turned wood. Yamanaka's unique woodworking techniques, including vertical cutting, are unrivaled in other areas, such as thin grinding and decorated grinding. In addition to traditional lacquerware, Yamanaka was one of the first to produce synthetic (modern) lacquerware with a urethane coating on a plastic (synthetic resin) base in the 1960s, which led to a dramatic increase in production value.

Producing area : Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Kaga City is located at the southernmost tip of Ishikawa Prefecture, and its beautiful 16.5 km coastline is designated as the Echizen-Kaga Kaigan National Park. The Daishojiji Domain was established in 1639, with Toshiharu, the third son of Maeda Toshitsune, as the feudal lord, and it remained in existence for 230 years until the Meiji Restoration, The Daishoji Domain flourished as a castle town of 100,000 koku for 230 years until the Meiji Restoration.

History of
Yamanaka Lacquerware

Yamanaka lacquerware was first produced during the Tensho period (1573-1592 A.D.) in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573-1592 A.D.), when a group of woodcutters from the Echizen province migrated from the mountains to the village of Masago, located about 20 km upstream from Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga City, with permits to cut down forests in various countries.
In the beginning, the main products were white wooden ground products, which were souvenirs for spa visitors, but from the Keian period (1648-52) to the Bunka period (1804-18) in the early Edo period, master craftsmen were invited from all over the country. The introduction of these techniques led to the development of a variety of lacquerware techniques, including sen-suji-biki, which has been handed down to the present, as well as shudame-nuri, koma-nuri, and color-nuri techniques.

From souvenirs to lacquerware production Yamanaka lacquerware made a full-fledged start as a local industry. Around 1958, plastic was introduced to Yamanaka lacquerware, which had developed mainly from tableware based on wooden lacquerware. In addition to traditional wooden lacquerware, the production of plastic lacquerware with various designs and functions at low prices has further expanded the market, meeting a variety of domestic and international demands.

Yamanaka Lacquerware has established a mass production system based on the division of labor by production process in Yamanaka-cho and Kaga City. Yamanaka Lacquerware has also focused on developing new products such as tableware and interior goods to meet the needs of diversifying and individualized lifestyles, and has entered new fields such as gift and bridal production.

As a local industry, it has made great strides to become a major production center boasting the nation's top production value. While continuing to carry on its 400-year history and traditions, we will continue to develop new materials and markets while making full use of new technologies, and aggressively promote the creation of products that match the needs of the times.