Kanshitsu box with design in kinma. “Baptism”

I made this during the COVID-19 pandemic when I wasn't sure whether the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition would be held or not.
While the world was amid confusion due to the pandemic, animals in wild life were living just as they were. I realized this when I saw herons flying up to the sky.
After the pandemic, we are entering a new era. It is now before dawn. Are we going to grieve about this situation and feel depressed, or are we going to move forward towards the light at the end of the tunnel? It's our choice.

• 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.