Nara Lacquerware: In the Studio of Master Craftsman Hiroyuki Tarui

Japan is famous for its lacquer (so much so that the technique is also called “Japanning”), and Nara has its own special type, expertise, and area-specific commissions. Master lacquerer Hiroyuki Tarui is among the finest that create Nara lacquerware. Tarui grew up in the world of lacquer, becoming a student in his 20s under the tutelage of his father Kisui Tarui who was the principle lacquerer for the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara, and who himself is a product of generations of lacquerers. Hiroyuki progressed to work on pieces for the same Shrine as well as for the Great Lecture Hall of Yakushiji Temple and many other temples and shrines around Nara.

I had the opportunity to visit Tarui-san’s studio in Nara. It is a place filled with the energy of work, craftsmanship, and appreciation for art. Bowls, stands, tables, and vessels of all kinds lie around on shelves in semi-display, and are plucked out to show examples of techniques. Bookshelves are crammed with collections from museums, or histories, and likewise are pulled out to clarify a point during conversation. Tarui-san is a generous teacher, glad to answer questions, and he even showed me and my guests how he used mother-of-pearl shell and paper templates to create inlay patterns, a technique called Raden.

Nara lacquerware is called Nara Shikki, and the designs used in the Tempyo period (729-49) are considered to represent its height. Many of these are kept in the famous Shosoin storehouse, with a few being selected each year for exhibition at the Nara National Museum. Tarui still makes pieces uses designs from these treasured works. Lacquer is not only decorative, bringing a deep, gleaming sheen to the objects it coats, it also protects wood; it is durable and a natural insect repellent.

And you can see it everywhere in Japan, once you start to look: tables, floors, Buddhist statues, musical instruments, swords, utensils, hair ornaments, old armour, and even ironware teapots. Lacquer is even used as a bond to repair the cracks in bowls when the Kintsugi technique is used, a technique now well-known outside Japan. Tarui was even responsible for creating a new portable shrine for the Tamukeyama Hachiman Shrine, an old shrine which protects the great Todaiji Temple.

By all means, enjoy Nara’s own lacquerware when you visit, and perhaps even take a trip to Tarui-san’s wonderful studio.