Wajima mihon-wan
Wajima lacquer ware is known for its toughness. The base wood is thin like a paper, even the light comes through. To enforce the edge, they cover it with cloth, layer a paste of ji-no-ko powder and lacquer, and polish. The repetition of varnish and polish, all the processes can reach 129. It takes months to a year to finish. Those painstaking processes make Wajima lacquer ware tough.
The production system has been established since more than 100 years, which consists of several specialists of wood curving, lacquering, polishing, and decoration. And the producer is called nushi-ya, hence the system is called nushi-ya system.
The producers’ roles are product planning and sales. They have their own designs, and when Nushi-ya went around for sales all over Japan, and they brought their prototypes. The prototype called mihon-wan (a sample bowl). Mihon-wan are not supposed to be exposed normally as they are very precious for nushi-ya as they were their secrets, and they carry the history of nushi-ya.
I happened to encounter those prototypes during my personal research on Wajima lacquer ware.
Since the Noto earthquake hit Wajima area in 2007, sadly many nushi-ya stopped their activities. I was lucky to have a chance to interview with a retired nushi-ya Mitani, Jihē. After recording his mihon-wan, I took over some of his precious bowls. Each of them is unique, and carries the history of Mr Mitani.
As I wished his creations would have a second life under the light, I introduce them.