Chôshitsu, Bori, Guri, Tixi, Tsuishû, Tsuikoku, Kamakurabori

[Manupropria]

Carved lacquer or Qidiao (Chinese: 漆雕) is a distinctive Chinese form of decorated lacquerware.

Chôshitsu is a generic term used for many carved lacquer techniques where layers of lacquer are applied to a thickness of three to seven millimeters, and a design is engraved on the surface. There are spiral patterns *guri 屈輪, carved cinnabar lacquer tsuishu 堆朱, and carved black lacquer tsuikoku. Carving lacquer became popular in China during the Sung dynasty; after Sung lacquer was imported to Japan in the Muromachi period the Japanese made imitations from the late 15c.

In order to achieve a carvable thickness, 100 to 500 coats of lacquer were applied to the wood and lacquer base. Each layer was allowed to harden for one day in room temperature and a constant humidity of +/- 75% and lightly polished. These difficult techniques became the special preserve of a Japanese family whose members each took the name Tsuishu Yôzei. Tsuishu (layered red) means carved lacquer, usually red, and Yôzei conflates the names Yômo (Ch; Yang Mao) and Chôsei (Ch; Chang Cheng) two famous Chinese lacquer carvers. The Tsuishû family continued over 20 generations from the 15th Century until today, working for the Ashikaga 足利 and then Tokugawa 徳川 shoguns. In the late 18c the Nomura 野村 family shared the official position of shogunal lacquer artists.

Chouhitsu is divided by color into tsuishû, tsuikoku, tsuiô 堆黄 (yellow) and kôka ryokuô 紅花緑葉 (red flowers and green leaves). In tsuishû, literally, piled cinnabar, layers of red lacquer are carved in elaborate designs. Developed in China during the Song and Yuan dynasties, objects made by these techniques were very popular in Japan with tea adepts.

The Muromachi period „Kundaikan Sôchôki“ divides tsuishû into six groups by patterns or layers of lacquer. Since the Edo period, any red carved lacquer is called tsuishû. In kôka ryokuyô flower patterns are carved into the layers of red lacquer, and leaf patterns into the green layers. Tsuikoku creates a design by carving into black lacquer built up out of many thin layers. Popular in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was imported in the Kamakura through Muromachi periods, and used primarily at temples.

Kamakurabori
It was later made in Japan. Kamakurabori 鎌倉彫, wood carved and then thinly coated with lacquer *urushi 漆, is made in Kamakura. Reportedly a sculptor of Buddhist images made copies of Chinese chôshitsu, using such popular Song and Yuan patterns patterns as peony, plum, Chinese lions and clouds. When demand for Buddhist images declined in the Meiji period, kamakurabori was used for household goods.

Art Nouveau
After Japan opened ist country tot he West during Meji Aera, (1868 – 1912) and early Shôwa Period (1926 – 1989) the Japanese arts and aesthetic concepts came to the West and helped creating a new art movement, the Art Nouveau.
The term „Art Nouveau“ reverts to a gallery in Paris with the name Maison de l'Art Nouveau ("House of New Art"), abbreviated often as L'Art Nouveau, and known also as Maison Bing for the owner, was a gallery opened on 26 December 1895, by Siegfried Bing at 22 rue de Provence, Paris.
The building was designed by the architect Louis Bonnier (1856–1946). Unlike his earlier stores at the same location and nearby at 19 rue Chauchat that specialised in Japonism and imports from Asia, the gallery specialised in modern art. The original exhibition featured windows designed by Nabi artists, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and made by Louis Comfort Tiffany.[3]
The fame of his gallery was increased at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, where he presented co-ordinated—in design and colour—installations of modern furniture, tapestries and objets d'art. These decorative displays became associated strongly with an artistic style that was becoming popular across Europe, and for which his gallery subsequently provided a name: Art Nouveau.
In some exhibitions traditional Japanese art together with japanese influenced art Nouveau works of European painters like Alphonse Mucha, Gustav Klimt, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Aubrey Beardsley, Koloman Moser, Kay Nielsen, Eugène Grasset, Stanislav Wyspianski, Ivan Biblin, Adolfo Hohenstein, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh and any more,

Other artists were deeply influenced by Japanese culture and art among them René Lalique Master Jeweler and Glass Artist, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd-Wright Architects, Jean Dunant and Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, genious Furniture Designers and lacquer artists, Léon Bajst Russian Costume Designer, Romain de Tirtoff known by his alias Erté is probably one of the best known Art Deco designers. Born in St. Petersburg in 1892 and many more.

However, as Japanese aesthetic has influenced the West, the Japanese artists have be re-influenced by the western artists and also the lacquer carver Family Tsuisû. Below pictures of art works made in the 20th Century

There were also pens made in Japan with carvings
I recommend an article by Penhero from 2017
http://penhero.com/PenHeroQuarterly/PQQ12017.htm

Best regards,

Martin

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[ShugPug]

Fascinating and beautiful - thank you.

[penwash]

Martin, your knowledge and passion about lacquering techniques are so amazing, as is your generosity in sharing these with us.

Thank you for the education.

[aaronp]

Have you ever thought of making a pen with this art? I think it will be a very beautiful pen if you decide to do so.

[Manupropria]

Thank you for our kind comments. It is my pleasure to spread information on urushi lacquer.
I am working on a Chôshitsu pen collection and as soon I have them finished I will post some pictures here on FPG