Writing about ”Urushi”
How are you？
Today I would likt to post about Japanese traditional livingware, Urushi.
Japanese have been used Urushi since early times. And (I think) we have at least one piece of Urushi goods in a home.
I realized Urushi is so rare and valuable! Please go on reading.
¿What is "Urushi"?
When we write the word "Urushi" in kanji「漆」, it means the sap of "Urushi tree" that lives in East Asia and Southeast Asia. The kanji for trees such as cedar「杉」, pine「松」, cherry「桜」, peach「桃」, and plum「梅」 they have "Ki-hen「木」" in the left, but only the kanji for "Urushi「漆」" has "San-zui「氵」" in the left. "Urushi" is the only wood with “San-zui” on its kanji.
* "Ki-hen「木」" means "tree", and "San-zui 「氵」" means "water".
The right side of the kanji for "Urushi" is「桼」. It is a combination of "wood「木」" + "eight「八」" + "water「水」". And that means "water comes out when you scratch the wood". In other words, "Urushi" has long been used as a "tree for collecting sap" rather than as a wood.
¿What is Urushi art?
It is a technique of creating works by painting the surface of the vessel with the sap from the Urushi tree and drawing patterns on it.
When Urushi hardens, it repels water and forms a coating that does not rot, so it has been used in everyday tools since ancient times. It is often used for everyday items such as bowls, chopsticks, trays, and jubako boxes. Urushi has been used as an adhesive since the Stone Age, and ornaments coated with red Urushi have been found in Jomon ruins from 9,000 years ago.
Taking advantage of above features of Urushi, it has been beautifully decorated with gold, silver, and shells to create boxes for storing important documents and clothing, musical instruments, sword sheaths, and armor. Today, in addition to daily necessities such as bowls and trays, beautiful Urushi works such as teawears (containers for matcha, incense and so on) and decorative boxes are made.
¿How is collected Urushi sap?
Urushi sap is similar to human blood; when a Urushi tree is injured, it releases a milky white fluid to protect itself, and it hardens when exposed to air. A single Urushi tree grown for 15 to 20 years yields an average of 200 grams of sap (enough to make just a few soup bowls). Depending on the region, the sap can be collected after the tree has grown for about 10 to 15 years.
Although there are regional differences, Urushi is collected over a period of time from around the end of May to around the beginning of November. The quality of the Urushi that is harvested varies depending on the season, so after collecting it, these saps are separated. The Urushi collected during the hot months of July and August is often of high quality and is used as a finishing coat. The collected sap is called "Ki-Urushi (raw Urushi)" and is used after being strained to remove any debris.
Japanese Urushi produced as a commercial product is extremely valuable and expensive. Urushi craftsmen treat their Urushi trees with great care and they are saying, "A drop of Urushi is a drop of blood". Nowadays, most Urushi trees have disappeared from rural areas in Japan, and most of the Urushi used in Japan is now produced in China.
¿What are the properties of Urushi?
The way of Urushi hardens is cure in a humid environment, rather than drying out due to water loss. It is a rare liquid whose mechanism is extremely difficult. Once hardened, it is so strong that it cannot be dissolved by hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, and has enough adhesive strength to stick to metal, making it the strongest natural paint in history. Urushi is a precious natural resin that is unique throughout the world.
When Urushi hardens, it becomes waterproof, inhibits bacteria, and becomes less susceptible to acids and alkalis that dissolve metals and glass. It has been used for adhesives, preservatives, waterproofing, and paints since ancient times.
When the collected sap is exposed to the sun and stirred to evaporate the water, transparent Urushi (Suki-Urushi) is created. Urushi is used as a paint (Iro-Urushi) by mixing pigments (powders that give the color), and as an adhesive.
Urushi can be applied to most materials, including wood, bamboo, paper, cloth, leather, metal, and pottery.
¡For your information, about sumac rash!
Answer: Urushi products will not cause a rash.
You won't get a rash from Urushi products.
When you come into the mountains, you may touch Urushi trees and get swelling, but this is a contact dermatitis caused by your skin reacting to urushiol, the main ingredient in the tree. It is accompanied by strong itching that lasts for 2 to 3 days. It takes 1 to 2 weeks for the red rash to disappear, but the best way to get rid of it quickly is to go to a dermatologist and apply steroids.
Urushi rash is caused by an antigen-antibody reaction, but if you get a rash many times, you will gradually develop immunity and stop getting the rash. Urushi artists are immune to Urushi and do not get a rash even if they touch the Urushi paint.
Urushi rash can be caused by contact with raw wood or Urushi paint, but don't worry, even sensitive people will not get a rash from completely dried Urushi-ware.
However, Urushi-ware made with the paint mixed with poor quality impurities does not allow the interior to dry sufficiently, and in rare cases, some people may develop Urushi rash.
In that case, the Urushi-ware will never dry completely, so you should refrain from using it. We recommend that you carefully examine the quality of your Urushi-ware before purchasing it at an appropriate store.
Of course, YUIYU's Urushi-ware is safe, don't worry!
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