Lacquer ware

Japanese urushi lacquer and a substance of plant origin and is highly allergenic, has extraordinary insulating properties, spread evenly it becomes extremely hard and waterproof. This LATEX is extracted by carving the trunk of the RHUS verniciflua plants also known as the lacquer tree, This tree grows in various regions of the Middle and Far East and the latex is harvested between June and October.
The history of Japanese lacquer coincides with the introduction of Buddhism in the early days of the Asuka era (552-645).
Objects of everyday and ornamental use were constructed over the centuries until they reached an extraordinary luster and quality in the 18th century where the use of lacquer was not limited to the refined objects in which the creativity of the artists of the previous centuries had been measured, but adorned all sorts of furniture, weapons, tableware, musical instruments, all in rare cases with showy coats of arms of the nobility(mon). Decorating techniques are numerous, including Makie, achieved by spraying gold particles on the last layer of lacquer that is still soft and adhesive, and the nashiji technique, transparent lacquer with irregular mixtures of gold and silver dust, similar to Murano aventurine.