Questions and Answers Session

Ohnishi : We would like to begin the Questions and Answers Session. I hope that the session will be active with your opinions and comments and questions, which will help grasp the future feature of Urushi. Any questions will be welcomed.

Audience 1 : I am involved in designing architecture. After listening to the panelists and looking at the prize winners, I wonder if Urushi can be applied to anything.

Ohnishi : Anything existing in the world can be coated with Urushi.

Audience 1 : For example, can you coat part of the aluminum plate?

Ohnishi : Yes, aluminum can be easily coated with Urushi.

Audience 1 : What is the baby bath made of?

Ohnishi : Linen cloth and Urushi.

Audience 1 : Something like a linen bag?

Ohnishi : Many pieces of linen cloth soaked in Urushi are layered to strengthen. Do you know the Buddhist images made in the Nara period (710〜784)? One of the most famous images is Ashura. It is made of only linen cloth and Urushi called Kanshitsu. It is hollow.

Audience 1 : When I looked at it, I thought it was made of wood. What about the black work?

Ohnishi : It is also Kanshitsu. The base is Rigid Urethane Foam. It is shaved and when the form is completed, linen cloth is applied to the base with Urushi. Then it is solidified. The Rigid Urethane Foam looses the meaning of existence. It is independent with the strength of Urushi outside. The inside is not so important when the work is completed.

Audience 1 : Regarding the Advanced Design Prize winner, when I looked at the jacket, I felt something coarse and uncomfortable. Can you wear it?

Ohnishi : No problem. Unlike ordinary, soft cloth, the fabric applied with Urushi is more coarse.

Audience 1 : Is it porous?

Ohnishi : I think it porous because the fabric is not broken.

Audience 1 : Is it something like a piece of cloth coated with Urushi?

Ohnishi : Yes, Urushi does not soak into the core.

Audience 1 : I got it. I am afraid my questions are not so professional.

Ohnishi : I think such basic questions are important in understanding Urushi ware.

Audience 1 : Thank you very much.

Audience 2 : I am Shina. I made the Advanced Design Prize winner. While listing to the panelists, I felt that new realm of Urushi ware has been too much focused on aesthetics and too far from function in our daily life. In Japan including Ishikawa Prefecture, traditional arts and crafts products such as lacquer ware and Kutani porcelain have fell into a decline. Even good quality products do not sell well. Especially young ladies are not willing to buy them because it is troublesome to use them.
If this situation continues, traditional arts and crafts might disappear as the product. I am worried that even in Ishikawa various traditional arts and crafts are disappearing. So we have tried to make new products in the field of fabric and apparel. This item was made at the beginning of our product development, so it is coarse. We have developed softer products. At the IRII our products have been tested in washing and wearing. The result was the level 5. So we are going to produce the item but we are not thinking of mass production. The most important thing is that more young people will use them in their everyday life. To tell you the truth, I was surprised to know this item had received the Advanced Design Prize.
I have been impressed with various opinions. I hope to see interesting development in Urushi.

Ohnishi : Congratulations. I hope that you will develop your products by making the most of the prize of 500 thousand yen. Today traditional arts and crafts related industries have faced very difficult time, which is one of the new phenomena of various structures of our modern society. One big problem is that they are not so attractive.
You should have predicted such a situation much earlier. I am afraid those who have been involved in traditional arts and crafts started considering the problem after they had faced their difficulty. They should catch up with the change of our society.
Twenty to thirty years ago billions of yen was spent on Wajima lacquer ware, when they used a lot of gold decoration on many items. Such silly luxury itself is a problem.

Koppin : I agree with Prof. Ohnishi. It is a very big theme you are talking about. But may I say from Western point of view. In my eyes it is not crisis of Japanese crafts. In my eyes it is a crisis of Japanese identity. In the same way you are neglecting Japanese language. You are neglecting Japanese traditions even though you know that some are wonderful. You just admire Western way of life. I think that it is pity that you have lost some of your identity. So it is not crisis of lacquer or other craft in my eyes.

Ohnishi : Dr.Koppin’s remarks indicate a very important point. Our identity is our spiritual background. You must not think only about an immediate profit. That is why we have valued artistic works as well to obtain new proposals. It is true that products are influenced by the vogue of the era. In the case of Japan, not many people admire Japanese traditional culture although they often use the term “tradition”.
This is how tradition or culture are loosing their charms. Would any panelist like to say a few words on this important point?

Audience 3 : I am Tomoko Misaki. My work received the Ekuan Special Prize. I have just known that my work is awarded.
Let me explain the item. Whenever I make my works, I would like to make something holding both coldness of metal and warmness of Urushi. Silver is expensive, so I use the combination of silver and Kuroro Urushi. The incense burner definitely has the main part but I made many faces representing the changes of seasons; Japanese apricot blossoms for the New Year, cherry blossoms for the Doll’s Festival, irises for the Boys’ Festival, bush clovers for autumn and lilies for summer.
I wanted to combine the techniques of Kaga Makie and Kaga Zogan metal inlay and decorate the surface with gold leaf. I tried chasing technique onto the metal base. My techniques are still unskilled but as a challenge to metal and Urushi, I made this item.

Ekuan : I am afraid the holes of the incense burner are a little too cheesy. Incense must come out through gently shaped holes. They need sophistication.

Audience 3 : Thank you for your advice. That is what I wanted to do but I could not.

Ekuan : If an item has one defect, it tends to be disliked. The smaller the item is, the more precise care is necessary. In the case of the incense burner, the holes are most important. If you improve them, the item will be much better. I made my comments as a consumer.

Audience 3 : Thank you very much.

Ohnishi : Thank you so much.