sakazuki (sake drinking cup), Kajikawa Family

Exhibition Label: Asian Gallery, Summer 2003, Youmi Efurd One of the greatest technical achievements of artists in East Asia has been lacquer ware. The preserving and protective properties of lacquer tree sap were discovered at least as early as the Shang dynasty (ca. 1830-1027 BCE) in China and perhaps by the third century BCE in Japan. Throughout the following centuries a great variety of other techniques of lacquer decoration were perfected. They range from the application of many layers of variously colored lacquers that might be carved, incised, or inlaid to the application of a single layer of transparent lacquer simply to enhance the beauty of the wood grain for an otherwise unadorned object. Archive Label 2003: High-quality lacquer ware made by the Kajikawa family, such as this small sakazuki, was prized during the Edo period. The design is a careful balance of gold and red. The artist used many different techniques to apply the gold. Inlaid pieces of embossed gold foil form the eight fully-opened plum blossoms and the knot in the tree trunk. Fine gold powder textures the bark. The beautiful plum buds and blossoms growing out of the old, gnarled and jagged trunk are a symbol of longevity.