MASUISAI｜WAJIMA LACQUERWARE

Brand

Lacquer Accessories that Bring Healing to Your Daily Life

MASUISAI

• 1997
• Wajima Lacquerware Beads
• KATSUMUNE MASUI

History

Treating Crafting as a Line, Not a Point

MASUISAI is a home studio where a married couple works on Wajima-nuri lacquerware.

Wajima-nuri is usually broken into a division of labor consisting of 124 processes.

I, Masui Katsumune, a Roiro-shi (colorist), am in charge of the final process of Wajima-nuri, the glazing process, which gives the lacquer a brilliant shine.

Even with today's advanced machine technology, it is still human hands that produce the most beautiful luster.

The gloss is carefully created using the fingers and palms of the hands.

In this way, each process is carried out by professionals who take the time and effort to create a single piece of art.

However, even though the division of labor enhances the quality of the product, the essence of manufacturing cannot be understood by looking at only one process.

Therefore, I learned the essence of manufacturing from the basics at the Ishikawa Prefectural Wajima Lacquer Art Technical Training Institute.

I am challenging myself to create handicrafts that meet today's needs by utilizing what I have learned and the skills of a Roiro-shi lacquer craftsman.

Characteristic

Creating Products to Preserve Tradition

My motto is to make handcrafts that meet the needs of the modern world with new ideas and sensitivities.

Traditional crafts are losing their importance in our daily lives, but we cannot afford to let the traditional techniques handed down from previous generations die out.

As times change and people's needs change, we cannot expect that traditional crafts will carry on exactly as they are.

What we have been working on are Wajima lacquerware accessories that utilize the Wajima-nuri technique.

Lacquer is a natural paint that has long been a favorite in Japan.

Red and black are the most common colors, but we have utilized the techniques of Roiro-shi (colorist) to create beautiful luster with pink, green, blue, and other colored lacquers.

For Customers

Wear the Warmth of Lacquer

Wajima Lacquerware from Ishikawa is a traditional Japanese craft with a long history.

Wajima Lacquerware accessories are made of natural lacquer using this technique, with the hope that they will be close to the wearer's heart.

The warm luster of natural urushi lacquer heals our hearts when worn every day.

Some people may have a misconcieved notion that lacquer can give them a rash.

Lacquer wood produces "urushiol," a substance that cause sa rash, so the tree can protect itself from enemies.

This component later hardens to protect the surface, but when dried under the proper temperature and humidity, it hardens completely and does not cause a rash.

In addition, the parts that directly touch the skin are coated with a clear coating, so even those with sensitive skin can use the product with peace of mind.

We hope that wearing or holding our Wajima-nuri Accessories will bring healing to your daily life.