Our lacquerware, shikki, basically has the surface not only graceful in appearance but also extremely smooth to touch. One of the charms of Miyabi lies in its pristine luster, reminiscent of water or a mirror. Because of such characteristics, Miyabi reflects anything surrounding it. You forget everything else when you are drawn into the world of reflection. This design makes the most of its graceful finish to enjoy it not only as a bowl but also as one of objets d’art.
The structure with totally natural materials enables this pieces of art to be joyful items. You can use them to serve soup, dessert and the like, and when you display them, you can play with their reflection especially by changing the angles you look at.
This aspect is fully realized by the materials they are made with as well as artisans’ skills which bring the perfect gloss on the surface. ‘Playing with Miyabi’ expresses the four seasons of Japan by cherry blossoms, ripples in water, the Moon, and a snowman. You can play with this work, for example, by taking the moon out of the box and putting it back in, or enjoy altering the ripples in water.
A couple of Miyabi and a plate require highly-skilled artisans through the entire process of production. The characteristic shape of Miyabi makes it challenging for the turner to finely curve, especially along the rim. The shitaji, who works on the foundation of urushi application, should have a technique that is high enough for impeccable glossy tamenuri finish to be realized. The nushi, who is the urushi specialist, must be the one who has experiences and intuition for glossy finish. Lastly, the artist of mother-of-pearl work on the plate must be skillful to make the surface smooth.
The number of artisans involved in the traditional production process of this kind of shikki has decreased and such shikki will disappear unless the best effort is positively made to make people understand and enjoy the splendor of such shikki.
Furthermore, our pieces of shikki are made with totally natural materials and finished in glossy tamenuri (for Miyabi) and roiro. This kind of shikki has become more and more rare and invaluable even in Japan. Believing in beauty and values of shikki, we are trying to get the world of shikki closer to people to enjoy in everyday life. The items can be used as objets d’art as well as tableware. It’s repairable and sustainable, and you can adore it for a lifetime.
Category:TabletopYear:2024Designers:Yukino Shunme, SHUNMEYUKINO, Imizu-City, JapanManufacturer:SHUNMEYUKINO, Imizu-City, Japan
