Lacquered Tea Caddy

260,00 €

Tea caddy, lacquered fuki urushi style, XX Century

Out of stock

Categories: Lacquerware, Tea Caddy Tags: Lacquerware, Matcha, Matcha Natsume, Tea Caddy, Urushi

Description

Tea caddy, lacquered matcha natsume with fuki urushi style, wood and lacquer, XX Century. The body is made of wood, finished using the fuki urushi technique, wiping layers of translucent urushi lacquer to enhance the natural wood grain rather than conceal it. The form is smooth and rounded, with a snug fitting lid, designed for both elegance and functionality. The minimalist aesthetic and natural beauty reflect the wabi-sabi principles at the heart of the tea tradition.

Additional information

Weight	0,22 kg
Dimensions	6 × 6 × 7 cm
Age	XX Century
Material	Lacquer, Wood

Japanese Lacquer

Japanese Urushi Lacquerware

Real Japanese lacquerware uses sap from the urushi tree. It’s not varnish, not shellac, not resin. Urushi hardens by humidity, not air, and once cured it’s tough, chemical-resistant, and slightly elastic.

Layered construction

Every Japanese piece of lacquerware is built up through many thin layers of lacquer, often over a wooden core. Each layer is cured, polished, then coated again. This is why good lacquer has depth and brightness.

Surface refinement and finish

Whether glossy (roiro), matte, or textured, the surface is deliberate and controlled. Even simple black lacquer is about precision, not decoration. Sloppy edges, pooling, or uneven thickness are dead giveaways of cheap work.

Lacquerware decoration

Techniques such as maki-e, gold leaf or nashiji are not just applied on top of the urushi, they’re embedded into the lacquer layers. With urushi lacquerware decoration is structural and represents centuries of tradition through technique.