Available Today: Maki-e Decoration Experience at a Longstanding Lacquerware Specialty Shop in Nihonbashi, Tokyo

Handle Genuine Japanese Lacquerware and Soak up the Aesthetics of Traditional Crafts

Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district has been an epicenter for aesthetic trends since the Edo Period (1603-1868). Its streets are still lined with a variety of longstanding fixtures of consumer taste, from small boutiques to larger department stores that grew out of historical roots as kimono shops. Here, as you step through the entryway curtain, a variety of works emanating warmth and fine craftsmanship greet you at Utsuwa Nihonbashi Mutoh’s main store, founded as lacquerware and glassware wholesaler.

The showroom, brimming with masterful craft works

The Nihonbashi main store location holds regular workshops to broaden awareness of and appreciation for the joy of traditional crafts, such as this Wabunka exclusive plan in which guests can practice maki-e for themselves, handling authentic lacquerware to appreciate the craftsmanship of its lustrous and silky surface, and adorning it with colorful designs of their own making.

Lacquerware choices include mini racks (left), handheld mirrors (center), and a confectionery plate

Beginning with an Introduction to Hira Maki-e Technique

Hira maki-e is the principal form of maki-e, in which a design is drawn with lacquer as an adhesive base and then pigment powders including metallics such as silver and gold are dusted on for color and depth (the word “maki-e” literally means “sprinkled picture”). Lacquer can be difficult to handle for beginners, due to its tendency to cause irritation when coming into contact with exposed skin. That’s why this experience uses cashew paint instead, which beginners can handle without fear of ending up with a rash.

Learn each step of the process in fascinating detail

Your instructor will start by talking you through the process so that you can approach it with a confident understanding of every step from start to finish. Enjoy watching an expert’s brush up close with explanations about the ideal angle and stroke techniques to use. 

Gently and gradually work maki-e powder onto the brushtip

A Custom Item with your Own Original Design

After sufficient preparation with explanations and demonstrations, it’s time to put your newfound knowledge into practice. Choose your piece from mini racks, handheld mirrors, and a confectionery plate. Then envision the design you want to apply. You can lay out your arrangement with a combination of traditional design stencil masking stickers and real maple leaves. The masking stickers are stuck on like normal stencils, with cashew paint brushed on through their cutouts. Maple leaves, on the other hand, are coated directly with the cashew paint and used to stamp their shape onto the lacquerware.

Apply an even coat of cashew paint with finessed strokes, taking care to avoid excess force

Crucial to the technique is a thin and even application of cashew paint. Stick the maple leaf to the surface of your piece, then cover it with thin paper and use your fingertips to press outward from the center with radial strokes in order to help the paint transfer over. Curved surfaces can make this a tricky process, but there is no need to worry: toothpicks, wooden skewers, and cotton swabs can all be used to correct shapes or wipe away mistakes while wet.

In three minutes, the image is transferred. Use caution when peeling the leaf away

Dust Your Design with Maki-e Powder to Create Your Final Vision

When your design is applied, sprinkle on a coat of maki-e powder. Seven colors are available for use in simple single-color designs or combination into two- or three-color gradients. 

Participants are spoiled for choice with various hues of maki-e powder

When using multiple colors, it’s never bad to have a little overlap at the borders between them. Bolder colors mean subtler details and richer undertones. When wiping away powder with a tissue, move gently and take care not to distort the silhouette. Use a similar technique to create your ideal gradient, placing the main color nearest you and brushing it slowly away from you with the tissue. 

Even with the same pigments, no two pieces end up exactly alike

Works of Art that Grow in Uniqueness and Character with the Passage of Time

Take your piece home with you on the day of the experience and let it rest indoors in its box with the lid removed for 3-4 days, keeping it away from direct sunlight or other ultraviolet exposure. When this process is complete, the paint will be dry and the powder fully adhered. Simply wash away the excess with cold water, and your piece is complete.

The art of maki-e is held to have begun in Japan’s Nara period (710-794)

Lacquerware ages best when kept out of ultraviolet light and excessively dry environments. After washing, it should be simply wiped dry (not polished) to maximize its luster – which grows over time if properly cared for. We hope you will delight in your unique personalized piece of traditional Japanese maki-e lacquerware and its handsome aging properties for a long time to come.