is a form of

lacquerware Lacquerware are objects decoratively covered with lacquer. Lacquerware includes small or large containers, tableware, a variety of small objects carried by people, and larger objects such as furniture and even coffins painted with lacquer. Befor ...

from

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kamak ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is made by carving patterns in wood, then lacquering it with layers of color. It is then polished. In the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

(1185–1333),

carved lacquer Carved lacquer or Qidiao () is a distinctive Chinese form of decorated lacquerware. While lacquer has been used in China for at least 3,000 years, the technique of carving into very thick coatings of it appears to have been developed in the 12 ...

from the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

was imported to Japan by Chin Na-kei (or Chin Wa-kei). However, many Japanese lacquer craftsmen did not adopt the Chinese method of depositing lacquer and then carving it; instead, they created Kamakura-bori, a method of carving wood and then coating lacquer.Carved lacquer and Lacquered sculpture

Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History also known as the Yokohama Museum of Cultural History is a history museum in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. Its exhibition focuses on the culture and history of Kanagawa Prefecture. It is located in the building of the former Yokohama ...

Kamakura-bori is a technique invented by or , who were ''

busshi A Busshi (仏師) is a Japanese sculptor specializing in Buddha statues. List of Busshi * Chōkai ( ja) * Chōsei ( ja) * Eikai ( ja) * Enkū * Ensei ( ja) * Genkei ( ja) * Gyōkai ( ja) * Higo Bettō Jōkei ( ja) * Inchō ( ja) * Injo ( ...

'' (sculptors of Buddhist statues), in order to mass-produce Buddhist altar fittings resembling carved lacquer in a short period of time. Kamakura-bori was widely used as a box, stand or plate for daily necessities, Buddhist altar fittings and tea utensils.

References

See also