Kanshitsu box with design in kinma and zonsei "Sawagani (Freshwater Crab)"
H 11.5 x W 13.7 x D 28.0 cm,Year.2025Hiroshi Sasaki
1958 -- Lacquerware
- Awarded 6 times at the Japan Kōgei Assoc. Exhibition
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Price Range
Under $10,000
Info
The prices of the artworks on Gallery Japan are determined by the artists themselves and are published directly on the website.
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Description
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CategoryLacquerware
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Materials
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DimensionsH 11.5 x W 13.7 x D 28.0 cm
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Year presented2025
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RarityUnique
Techniques Used
Dry lacquer
For works of dry lacquer (kanshitsu), first a clay form is created and plaster is used to take a mold of the form. Next, repeated layers of hemp cloth and lacquer are applied to the mold until they are built up to the desired thickness. Finally, the mold is removed and additional coats of lacquer are applied to finish the piece. The hemp fibers are strengthened when the lacquer bonds with them, making dry lacquer an excellent technique for creating sturdy forms with a significant degree of freedom.
Kinma
There are three basic variations of kinma based on the method used for cutting the motifs: line cutting, dot cutting, and a combination of the two. All three types use a special carving blade known as a kinma ken. Originally, kinma only consisted of motifs made of incised lines. However, by combining a variety of colored lacquers and cutting techniques, the art has lent itself to increasingly complex designs.
Zonsei
In zonsei lacquerwork, the outlines of colored motifs are engraved to produce additional decorative effects. Typically, one of two techniques is used. In the first, the artisan applies the motifs in colored lacquer before using a carving tool called a zonsei ken to incise the outlines of the design or add decorative line engravings. In the second, the artisan creates motifs using the kinma technique, which are then outlined or engraved in the same fashion. Zonsei, like carved lacquer (chōshitsu) and kinma, is a technique associated primarily with Takamatsu in Kagawa prefecture.
Awards received
- The 67th Shikoku Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2025)
- Hitoshi Ota Award
