Odawara-shikki

Lacquerware from Kanagawa known for beautiful turned wood bowls and trays.

Odawara-shikki, a revered Japanese lacquerware from Kanagawa, Kanto, holds the prestigious designation of a National Traditional Craft, celebrated for its unique aesthetic and enduring quality. Its origins trace back to the Edo period, flourishing as a practical and elegant craft deeply rooted in the region's rich timber resources and the demand for high-quality household items and gifts. Local wood turners began applying lacquer to their Zelkova (keyaki) creations, establishing a tradition that has been meticulously passed down through generations. Central to Odawara-shikki's enduring beauty are its primary materials: robust Zelkova wood, chosen for its exceptional strength, beautiful grain, and resistance to warping, and authentic Japanese lacquer (urushi), renowned for its protective, antibacterial, and aesthetic properties. The craftsmanship involves two fundamental techniques. Highly skilled artisans meticulously shape the Zelkova using traditional wood turning methods, creating a diverse range of items from elegant bowls and trays to intricate containers, each piece exhibiting perfect balance and form tailored for practical use. Following the precise shaping, the distinctive suri-urushi technique is applied. This method involves repeatedly applying extremely thin layers of raw urushi lacquer onto the wood surface and then carefully wiping them off. This meticulous process is repeated numerous times, allowing the inherent beauty of the Zelkova's grain to remain visible, creating a deep, lustrous finish that is both durable and understated. Unlike other lacquerwares that completely obscure the wood beneath, Odawara-shikki celebrates the natural material, offering a unique aesthetic of rustic elegance combined with sophisticated craftsmanship. This emphasis on revealing the wood's character makes Odawara-shikki truly distinctive, embodying centuries of Japanese artistic tradition in functional, beautiful objects cherished for both everyday use and ceremonial occasions, reflecting a profound respect for nature and skilled artistry.