Maehata Shunsai
Christy Bartlett

Mr. Maehata Shunsai, a third generation lacquer artist, came to Denver to demonstrate his skills and share his knowledge of the ancient Japanese lacquer tradition of makie, or "sprinkled picture" for Curator's Circle. In addition, Ms. Christy Bartlett, founding director of the Urasenke Foundation of San Francisco, presented at the workshop.

Through a demonstration, handouts, and PowerPoint and video presentations, audience members learned about the unique qualities and difficult preparation associated with lacquer objects. Lacquer, or urushi in Japanese, has been used for thousands of years to create utilitarian items. Maehata explained that lacquer has some unusual properties. There is a high level of plant oil, or urushiol, in the Japanese species of lacquer tree, which makes it especially prized by artists, and the lacquer does not actually dry but requires high humidity to complete a chemical hardening process. Interestingly, the tree is related to poison ivy and produces similar toxic effects.

Participants learned that the makie technique of sprinkling metallic or pigmented powder on a wet lacquer ground to form a composition is uniquely Japanese. This style of decoration developed in the late eighth century, during the Heian period (794-1185). By the Momoyama period (1573-1615), it was exported to Europe where the word "Japon" was coined as a generic term for lacquer wares.

A video highlighted the many detailed steps and numerous artists who participate in the production of a single lacquer object. Maehata likened the production to the human form: The bones (initial form of wood or ceramic), muscles (undercoats of lacquer), skin (topcoats), and fashion (surface design) all combine to make the final product. He then proceeded to share images of the restoration of a seven hundred and fifty-year-old temple that he, his father, brother, and twelve other assistants worked on for more than a year. As a grand finale for his evening Conversation, Maehata presented the DAM's Asian art curator, Ron Otsuka, with a pair of stunning tea caddies that were created by his father.

The Workshop the following morning featured Bartlett's lecture on the history of chanoyu, or the Way of Tea, and the development of aesthetics for lacquer tea utensils. She taught the audience to best observe lacquer utensils by first considering the overall shape, then the surface texture, and finally the composition. She explained how the symbols are like a vocabulary that can be learned over time. She also commented that, in her opinion, lacquer is a low-tech but highly skilled art because "the lingering traces of the hand reveal the human spirit."

After a short break, Maehata presented examples of lacquer objects in various stages in order to better illustrate the production process. The final minutes were devoted to questions. Maehata's younger brother, Maehata Tsuyoshi, and his workshop assistant, Kawayachi Junnosuke, accompanied him from Japan. Ms. Kumiko Iwasawa, owner of Iwasawa Oriental Arts in Los Gatos, California assisted Maehata. Mrs. Rokko Aoyama of Ft. Collins, Colorado, acted as translator for the Conversation. It was a very rare treat, in Japan or America, to see a master artisan plying his craft.

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