Kagawa Lacquerware

Kagawa Lacquerware Kagawa Shikki

Kagawa Lacquerware is known for its vivid colored lacquers and the rich luster that deepens with use. Five distinctive techniques—Kinma, Zonsei, Choshitsu, Goto-nuri, and Zokoku-nuri—have been passed down, creating a wide variety of expressive lacquerware. It was designated a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government in 1976.

Description
History
Production Process
Facility Information
Related Artists

Description

What is Kagawa Lacquerware ?

Kagawa Lacquerware is produced mainly in and around Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. A wide variety of objects are made, ranging from everyday items such as bowls, trays, tea saucers, and confectionery containers to decorative furnishings and works of art. On February 26, 1976, Kagawa Lacquerware was designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

Five techniques are especially associated with Kagawa Lacquerware: Kinma, Zonsei, Choshitsu, Goto-nuri, and Zokoku-nuri.

In Kinma, patterns are carved into layers of lacquer with specialized engraving tools. Colored lacquer is then worked into the carved grooves, and the surface is polished smooth to reveal the design. Fine carving and richly colored lacquer create intricate decorative effects.

Zonsei combines painted decoration with carving. Designs are first created with colored lacquer, after which outlines and details are incised. In some forms of the technique, gold powder or other materials are applied to the carved lines to emphasize the motif.

Choshitsu is a form of carved lacquer in which many layers of colored lacquer are built up and then carved into to create the design. Variations in the color sequence and depth of carving produce a richly layered, three-dimensional effect.

Goto-nuri is characterized by distinctive mottled patterns created by manipulating vermilion lacquer before it has fully hardened. Zokoku-nuri uses repeated lacquer coatings together with materials such as powdered wild rice to create a subdued color and distinctive surface texture.

Together, these techniques demonstrate one of the defining characteristics of Kagawa lacquer art: the combination of carving and colored lacquer to produce highly varied decorative surfaces.

History

Lacquer art in Kagawa developed during the Edo period under the patronage of the Matsudaira family, rulers of the Takamatsu domain. Matsudaira Yorishige, the first lord of the domain, encouraged arts and crafts alongside tea culture, calligraphy, and other cultural pursuits, helping establish the foundation for the region’s lacquer tradition.

A major figure emerged in the late Edo period: Tamakaji Zokoku, born in Takamatsu in 1806. Zokoku studied lacquering and carving and later examined lacquerware and techniques associated with China and Southeast Asia while training in Kyoto and elsewhere.

Building on these influences, he developed distinctive forms of Kinma, Zonsei, and Choshitsu, creating what became known as the three principal techniques of Kagawa lacquer art. For this reason, Zokoku is often regarded as the founder of the modern Kagawa lacquer tradition.

During the Meiji period, these techniques were further developed as lacquerware production expanded and products were made for both domestic and overseas markets.

Toward the end of the Meiji era, Goto Taihei developed the technique known as Goto-nuri. Zokoku-nuri, named in honor of Tamakaji Zokoku, also became established. Together with Kinma, Zonsei, and Choshitsu, these techniques formed the five principal traditions now associated with Kagawa Lacquerware.

From the Meiji period through the twentieth century, lacquer artists including Isoi Joshin and Otomaru Kodo further refined Kagawa’s lacquer techniques. As a result, Kagawa lacquer developed both as a traditional industry and as an important field of Japanese decorative art.

On February 26, 1976, Kagawa Lacquerware, encompassing the five techniques of Kinma, Zonsei, Choshitsu, Goto-nuri, and Zokoku-nuri, was designated as a Traditional Craft by the Japanese government.

Today, craftspeople in Kagawa continue to produce everything from practical lacquerware to fine art objects, while institutions such as the Kagawa Urushi Lacquerware Institute support the transmission of skills to future generations.

Production Process

1. Making the Wooden Base
The production of Kagawa Lacquerware begins with creating the wooden base for bowls, boxes, trays, and other objects. Depending on the intended form, the wood is carved, bent, assembled, or otherwise shaped.

Any cracks, dents, or irregularities may be repaired with materials such as kokuso, a traditional lacquer-based filler, before the surface is carefully smoothed. The wooden base is prepared with consideration for both the final shape and the subsequent lacquer finish.
2. Hardening and Preparing the Base
Raw lacquer is rubbed into the prepared wooden surface to strengthen it and create a foundation for later coatings.

Additional undercoating materials may be applied as necessary. Each layer is allowed to dry and harden before being polished. Repeating the coating and polishing process creates a smooth and durable surface for lacquering.
3. Applying the Lacquer
Lacquer is applied over the prepared base in carefully controlled layers. Each coat is allowed to dry and harden under suitable temperature and humidity conditions, with polishing performed between coats when necessary.

Depending on the technique, vermilion, black, and various colored lacquers are used. For Kinma, Zonsei, and Choshitsu, particular attention is given to creating a lacquer surface suitable for subsequent carving and decoration.
4. Kinma
In Kinma, fine patterns are carved into the lacquered surface using specialized engraving tools.

Colored lacquer is worked into the carved grooves and allowed to harden. The surface is then polished to remove excess lacquer and reveal the design. Repeating this process can create highly detailed patterns with rich color contrasts.
5. Zonsei
In Zonsei, decorative motifs such as flowers, birds, and figures are first painted onto the lacquer surface using colored lacquer.

The outlines and finer details are then carved with engraving tools. Depending on the variation of the technique, gold powder may be applied to the carved lines, or colored lacquer may be worked into the incisions to emphasize the design.
6. Choshitsu
In Choshitsu, many layers of differently colored lacquer are built up to create a thick lacquer surface.

After the lacquer has fully dried and hardened, the surface is carved with specialized tools. Different colors appear according to the depth of the carving, producing richly layered patterns with a strong sense of depth and dimension.
7. Goto-nuri
In Goto-nuri, vermilion or other lacquer is applied to the surface and manipulated before it has fully hardened to create distinctive mottled patterns.

The artisan carefully judges the viscosity and degree of drying while forming the pattern. After hardening, the surface develops the soft variations in color and subdued luster characteristic of Goto-nuri.
8. Zokoku-nuri
In Zokoku-nuri, lacquer is repeatedly applied and the surface is finished using powdered material obtained from makomo, or wild rice.

Through repeated coating and polishing, the powder becomes integrated into the lacquer surface, producing the deep brownish-black tones and distinctive subdued texture associated with Zokoku-nuri.
9. Polishing
The lacquer surface is polished and refined according to the technique used.

In Kinma, polishing reveals the colored lacquer embedded in the carved design. In Choshitsu, it refines the appearance of the carved lacquer layers. For Goto-nuri and Zokoku-nuri, the finishing process is carefully adjusted so that the characteristic texture of each technique is preserved.
10. Inspection and Finishing
Finally, the lacquer surface, carved decoration, patterns, luster, and overall shape are carefully inspected.

Any necessary adjustments are made, and the piece is checked for scratches, uneven coating, or other imperfections. The work is then completed in a manner that preserves the distinctive colors, textures, and decorative qualities of its particular Kagawa Lacquerware technique.