Wakasa lacquerware, or Wakasa-nuri, is said to have originated more than four centuries ago. A craftsman of the Obama domain called Matsuura Sanjuro produced a design that depicted the seabed of Wakasa Bay by using a lacquered tray brought from China by the wealthy Obama merchant Kumiya Rokurozaemon as a reference. The new technique was first called Kikujin-nuri, but Sakai Tadanao (1630–1682), the second Sakai lord of the Obama domain, named it Wakasa-nuri and encouraged the development of this craft as a core industry of the region.
Wakasa lacquerware techniques were perfected over the centuries, and skilled craftsmen continue the practice to this day. Its defining characteristic is layering natural materials between coats of lacquer, which results in unique patterns after polishing. Cloth-pasting and several layers of colored lacquer are followed by seashells, mother-of-pearl, eggshells, rice husks, and pine needles to create a design, which is covered by more coats of lacquer. The item is then polished with progressively finer whetstones to bring the patterns to the surface.
Many records show evidence of trade and cultural exchange between the port town of Obama and other parts of Japan, and lacquerware was no exception. According to a historical document from the city of Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture, Wakasa lacquerware craftsmen who moved there in the early Edo period (1603–1867) helped refine the Tsugaru-nuri lacquerware techniques.
Since the Meiji period (1868–1912), lacquered chopstick production became mainstream, and at present, around 80% of all lacquered chopsticks made in Japan are Wakasa-nuri. With Obama’s long history as an international port town, an area responsible for supplying food to the imperial court, and the starting point of the Saba Kaido network of trade routes leading to Kyoto, Wakasa lacquerware can be regarded not only as a treasured traditional craft, but also as an indispensable part of the region’s food culture.
