TSUGARU−NURI PRODUCTS

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ACCESSORIES
Based on the concept of “adding a ‘little’ touch of your own style to everyday life,” this accessory line lets you enjoy Tsugaru-nuri designs in your daily life. Each piece of Tsugaru-nuri—a lacquerware crafted with meticulous handwork—is unique, with no two pieces sharing the same color or pattern. Designed to be worn casually as “everyday accessories,” they subtly bring out the wearer’s individuality.
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【Retailers】

  • gallery CASAICO

    4-2-11 Joto Chuo, Hirosaki City, Aomori
    PHONE. +81-172-88-7574
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  • green

    1F, 22 Daikan-cho, Hirosaki City, Aomori
    PHONE. +81-172-32-8199
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  • Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art

    2-1 Yoshino-cho, Hirosaki City, Aomori
    PHONE. +81-172-32-8950
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  • kusamura

    42 Dote-machi, Hirosaki City, Aomoribr>PHONE. +81-172-22-6847
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  • KISUKE

    1-1-5 Yanagawa, Aomori City, Aomori, Aomori Station East Exit Building, &LOVINA, 1st Floor
    PHONE. +81-17-718-7270
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  • Sakurano Department Store Aomori, 6th Floor

    1-13-2 Shinmachi, Aomori City, Aomori
    PHONE. +81-17-723-4311
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NAPKIN RING/
CHOPSTICK REST
The 58th Japan Craft Exhibition
—Craft NEXT—
Selected　
Use it as a napkin ring for Western-style meals or as a chopstick rest for Japanese cuisine…
Featuring a dice motif and crafted using “Kara-nuri”—the most popular style of “Tsugaru-nuri”—“DICE” is sure to delight your guests at home parties and when entertaining.
  • 4P20,000 yen + tax
  • 1P5,000 yen + tax

MATERIAL／Natural wood, Fabric, and Natural lacquer
SIZE／W46×H46×D27mm
Design Registration No.1615872

SHADE CUP

FREE CUP
Inspired by a lampshade, the “SHADE CUP” features simple curves that fit comfortably in your hand. Crafted using “Kara-nuri,” the most popular style of “TSUGARU−nuri” lacquerware, it’s perfect for enjoying beer, sake, coffee, and other beverages, or for serving desserts.
  • L22,000 yen + tax
  • S20,000 yen + tax

MATERIAL／Natural wood, Fabric, Natural lacquer, Tin powder
SIZE／L:W90φ×H80mm S:W80φ×H75mm

Guidelines for using Japanese lacquerware

apanese lacquerware is made from natural wood, hemp cloth, primer powder, natural lacquer, and pigments. Since it is sensitive to sudden temperature changes, please avoid pouring boiling water on it or placing it in the microwave or refrigerator.
When washing, please use a neutral detergent and a soft sponge, just as you would with regular tableware. After washing, wipe it dry immediately with a soft cloth. Avoid leaving it soaking in water for long periods of time. Washing it together with other tableware, such as ceramic items, may cause them to bump into each other and become scratched, so we recommend washing them separately. Please do not use a dishwasher.
Lacquer is sensitive to ultraviolet rays, so please store it in a place out of direct sunlight.
Newly finished lacquerware, especially bowls and other tableware, should be left to “rest” for six months.

Lacquerware is a craft item that develops a more beautiful luster when handled gently and with care. We hope you will understand the proper care instructions and enjoy your pieces for many years to come.

ABOUT TSUGARU−NURI

Tsugaru-nuri is a general term for elegant lacquerware centered in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, based on the “Togidashi-kawari-nuri” technique.
It is the only craft in Aomori Prefecture to have been designated as a National Traditional Craft Industry (1975) and as an Important Intangible Cultural Property (2017).

During the Genroku era of the Edo period, Lord Nobumasa, the fourth lord of the Tsugaru domain, invited instructors and artisans from across the country to revitalize industry and culture. Under the domain’s patronage and nurturing, the craft developed as furnishings for samurai and, by the early Meiji period, had spread to the general public, establishing itself as an industry.
Tsugaru-nuri employs a technique known as “Togidashi-kawari-nuri.” As a decorative technique that creates patterns through the lacquer itself, it involves applying five to seven layers of precious lacquer and then sanding and polishing the surface—a traditional technique that has been passed down unchanged for over three hundred years.
There are four representative styles: Kara-nuri, Nanako-nuri, Nishiki-nuri, and Monsha-nuri; however, by combining colors and interweaving these various techniques, an infinite variety of designs can be created.

  • Kara-nuri

    This is the most well-known lacquer technique and the quintessential style of Tsugaru-nuri.
    It serves as the foundation for the diverse “Togidashi-kawari-nuri” techniques, creating a rich, substantial finish with beautiful layers of colored lacquer.

    Black lacquer mixed with egg white is applied using a special spatula to create a speckled pattern. Colored lacquer is then layered on top, and when polished with a grindstone or charcoal, the cross-sections are revealed, producing a unique pattern.

  • Nanako-nuri

    A lacquer technique that creates Edo Komon-style circular patterns by scattering rapeseed seeds.

    This sophisticated Edo Komon-style finish evokes the appearance of rows of fish roe, known as “nanako.”
    Rapeseed seeds are scattered onto a wet lacquer coating applied with a brush. After the lacquer dries, the seeds are peeled away, leaving behind circular protrusions. Lacquer—which serves as the base color—is then applied to these protrusions, and upon polishing, small circular patterns emerge.

  • Nishiki-nuri

    This lacquer finish, based on Nanako-nuri, features added patterns and exudes a luxurious, Nishiki-style atmosphere.

    On a Nanako ground with a gradated checkered pattern in yellow and vermilion, cherry blossom arabesques and Saya motifs are hand-painted, accented with green shading. Vermilion lacquer mixed with tin powder is applied with a brush; when polished, the patterns are partially obscured by the circular motifs, creating a soft, subtle interplay of visibility and concealment.

  • Monsha-nuri

    A subdued finish achieved by sprinkling rice husk charcoal powder and then polishing it out.

    This understated finish features glossy black lacquer patterns that emerge on a matte black background, depending on how the light hits it.
    After using a brush to build up black lacquer in raised relief to create designs or patterns, lacquer is applied, rice husk charcoal powder is sprinkled over it, and once dry, the patterns are revealed by polishing away the powder.

*Note: Although “Math Graphics” appears at the beginning of the video, “KABA” is a brand operated by Math Graphics.

ABOUT KABA

In fiscal year 2014, we established the “Tsugaru-nuri New Brand Creation Project,” a voluntary organization aimed at enhancing the skills of young artisans in “Tsugaru-nuri”—a traditional lacquerware craft of Aomori Prefecture—as well as preserving and developing its traditions, and creating a new brand for Tsugaru-nuri. Since then, we have been conducting joint research with the Design Promotion Office at the Hirosaki Industrial Research Institute of the Aomori Prefectural Industrial Technology Center (a regional independent administrative agency) to develop new Tsugaru-nuri products.

To harness the creativity of Tsugaru-nuri artisans, particularly young artisans.
To sell new products and develop both existing and new markets.
To create opportunities for aspiring Tsugaru-nuri artisans to be welcomed into the field.

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