Japan’s New Variations on an Ancient Art Form

Modern art in Japan is attention-grabbing not only for its visual content, but also because it provides a window into a changing society as seen through the eyes of an individual. Appreciating the skill of a particular artist and the shape his or her art takes becomes a springboard to interpreting his or her message. This concept figures prominently in the new exhibit “New Urushi Forms: Three Lacquer Artists from Japan” at the San Francisco Museum of Folk and Craft Art. On display until the 8th of August, the collection of artworks opened to the public May 5th, and in the eyes of the curators Karin Nelson and Rachel Osajima the pieces “transform traditional materials and techniques to produce new and exciting work.” The urushi exhibit is presented on the second floor while “Subtraction and Addition: Ceramic Sculpture and Installations” appears on the first level.

The museum is located in Building A of the Fort Mason Center, an area that for centuries was used by the armed forces and became a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Today, it includes parks, shops, a center for the performing arts, and plenty of open space. Walking toward the gallery, it is commonplace to see garden plants being sold under a tent, a frisbee game, families attending a play, or groups of tourists just trying to relax. The laid-back atmosphere is ideal for an exhibition that spotlights skillful artists who take their work seriously but aren’t afraid to forge new paths in the medium.

That medium is a kind of lacquer derived from the sap of the urushi tree which is indigenous to Korea and Japan. Described by artist Sakuro Matsushima as ‘a natural plastic of the Rhus vernicifera,’ it has been used by humans since the ancient past, especially for the creation of tools and weaponry. Other functional items have also been created from this material, and in Japan it has been associated with dining utensils and platters as well as jewelry up to 9,000 years old. In addition, urushi items have been attested in religious and traditional capabilities, serving as incense burners and tea containers. However, the works placed in the gallery do not have a utilitarian purpose, but rather take on a sculptural quality invoking themes of nature and the human experience. Each of the three featured urushi makers have strong opinions about what their compositions signify, as evidenced by their statements of artistic philosophy placed within the exhibition. Without a doubt, each has a very distinct form, and it is nearly impossible to misidentify who created a particular work among those presented.

Toshiaki Fujita earned his Master’s degree in urushi from the Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music. He is a member of the faculty at Musashino Art University and has created artwork for nearly two decades. Emphasizing the time-honored attributes of lacquer craftsmanship, many of his exhibited pieces also are composed of clay powder and gold leaf. His 2003 work ‘Layering Form III’ is oval-shaped and takes on a earthy brown tone on its exterior, which to the viewer appears to be made up of an endless pattern of small rings. This hue and texture is an allusion to tightly packed layers of rugged terrain or the layered appearance of bark on a tree. In the circular center of ‘Layering Form III,’ Fujita forms a shiny red crater in which the gold leaf appears. While the artist makes no direct mention of its significance, the tint reminds one of volcanic lava or the color of the sky at sunset. The duality of clay and gold, or earth and fire, appeals to one’s primal senses. He also presents other works as a variation on the ‘layering form’ concept, such as making the center shaped like a four-leaf clover rather than an oval while keeping the color scheme intact. Indeed, Fujita’s aspiration is for his work to “be understood in a direct sensual manner by anyone.”

Sakurako Matsushima made her emphasis in ‘traditional lacquer techniques’ as she received her Master’s degree at the same school as Fujita. Presently lecturing at Utsunomiya University, her works have appeared throughout Tokyo on their own as well as in larger collections in Belgium, France, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and the United States. What Matsushima produces is meant to adorn the body as large jewelry, and the first of these creations were the products of an effort at the end of her college career in 1991. ‘Upper Body Ornament II,’ which includes shell and gold powder, is an intriguing example of her creativity, in that its curves resemble vines or twisting rope, and its varied colors intermingle as a result of the design itself. She may attempt to use a clay form, plaster model, or core of hemp cloth in her urushi, binding it to the lacquer with three to five layers of clay powder or rice glue. After this, she is able to polish the developing artwork with a stone or piece of sandpaper. A major theme in Matsushima’s portfolio is the delicate nature of each strand or ‘vine’ alongside the potency of the collective unit that is the entire ornament. Her main objective is similar to Fujita’s in that it stresses the basic essence of experience. As she puts it, her ornaments ideally “express other aspects of human existence to bring out the spiritual dimension inside us all.”

Natsuki Kurimoto attended Kyoto City University of Arts, where he remained for both his undergraduate and graduate studies. He is a veteran of over 100 exhibitions, and his pieces are permanent members of many renowned museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Kurimoto stresses natural forms that are heavily ornamented and highly pleasing aesthetically. He sees his take on urushi “as a medium rooted in the traditions of Japan and other parts of Asia” but does not necessarily worry about whether his style is traditional. ‘Shadow of a Fish III’ has a smooth, thin shape that tapers at both ends with meticulously decorated surfaces. The substances used to make the work include wood, silver powder, and steel in addition to the lacquer component. In this exhibition, Kurimoto uses predominantly black, red, blue, and green colors in the art displayed. Due to its transparency, images displayed in this kind of lacquer ware are unique because they can appear to hover above the face of the material or look as though they are buried deep within the piece.

The information provided by the artists that appears in the gallery allows the observer a richer perspective on the world of urushi. It is obvious that Matsushima enjoys her work, but she also calls her medium a ‘poison’ which can plague an artist who pays too little attention to the craft or becomes frustrated while working with the material. Alternatively, when her state of mind was positive and peaceful, she saw that the urushi would respond much more easily to her touch. While all three artists are among the finest lacquer artists, each individual has certain levels of mastery in technique, and as a result specialize in specific aspects of the process. For instance, Fujita has become adept at application of decorative touches like applying gold leaf and coating of the wood model. Alternatively, Kurimoto has worked extensively with the use of gold powder in a process known as makie.

Without question, there is a strong desire on the part of urushi makers to preserve the technique that they practice while not allowing its development to stagnate. The current exhibition demonstrates that artists may cultivate a particular style even as they test its boundaries through experimentation. In the past, Matsushima has often used a similar pattern of interweaving strands, but not always in the shape of body ornaments. She has even dabbled in objects of completely different shape, such as the disc-shaped objects she presented in a 2003 Tokyo exhibition that appear slightly similar to what Fujita has on display, which could reflect the influence of their university’s manner of teaching. While urushi today is practiced most commonly in Japan, its appeal is far from confined to its borders. Echoing Matsushima’s sentiment, Fujita believes that its universal appeal is clear, as evidenced by the hope that his creations “transcend the boundaries of race, culture, history, and religion” so that urushi gains the respect it deserves from the international community. Considering that the exhibition has just been inaugurated, the coming months will at the least give urushi exposure in the Bay Area.