Eight Out of Ten Lacquered Chopsticks in Japan Come From One Small Town
A pair of Wakasa lacquered chopsticks are immediately recognizable for their intricate patterns. Depending on the artisan’s design, you might see shimmering ribbons of mother-of-pearl, delicate flecks of crushed eggshell or bold geometric undertones of red, yellow and gold gleaming across a dark, polished surface. Originating in Fukui Prefecture’s Obama Bay during the Edo period, […] The post…
Eight out of every ten lacquered chopsticks sold in Japan trace their origins to one small town, Obama City in Fukui Prefecture. These intricately designed utensils, popularized in the Edo period, have become a staple in Japanese households. Originating from an artisanal tradition that began in Obama Bay during the early 1600s, the craftsmanship of Wakasa lacquerware has transformed a simple utensil into a miniature, atmospheric landscape.
Today, Obama City remains the epicenter of this craft, producing roughly 80 percent of Japan's domestically lacquered chopsticks.
The technique behind Wakasa lacquerware is a testament to patient artisanship. Artisans embed natural materials like mother-of-pearl, crushed eggshells, and crushed pine needles into an intermediate coat of lacquer, then seal them under layers of color-dyed lacquer and gold leaf. The design only becomes visible after a multi-step polishing process known as togidashi, during which artisans gradually reveal the embedded materials using progressively finer whetstones, charcoal, and hand-rubbed oils.
While the entire process of crafting traditional Wakasa lacquerware can take over 60 steps, lasting months to complete, visitors to Obama City can still experience the marvel of the togidashi polishing in under an hour at one of several hands-on workshop spaces. These workshops allow participants to use pre-layered, lacquer-coated chopsticks and slowly, meditatively remove the dark outer layer to reveal the hidden patterns below.
Written by urgent.news from Tokyo Weekender's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
