From the motorcycle runner to Uncle Shen, Sakamoto said: it takes at least ten years to make something that is not humiliating.

From the motorcycle runner to Uncle Shen, Sakamoto said: it takes at least ten years to make something that is not humiliating.

The most perfect way of life for a craftsman

within the boundaries of arts and crafts, there are all kinds of broad and profound arts and crafts all over the world, which can be classified into four categories: ceramics, fiber, glass, and metal.

but in East Asia, there is a unique category other than these four categories, that is, lacquer art.

in the eyes of the western world, lacquer art is ancient and mysterious.

because of its raw material source, it is a unique tree species in East Asia-lacquer tree.

the juice produced by the lacquer tree can be allergic to people who first come into contact with it, but it can be made into utensils that can hold food and never rot for a hundred years.

in China, lacquer art has a history of at least 8000 years.

the Chinese character "lacquer", beside the edge where there are no "three points of water" in ancient times, the upper wood goes into the water and the middle is double skimming, which vividly tells us that "lacquer" is the sap from cutting trees.

since the Neolithic Age, lacquer art has been widely used in architecture, boats, armor, daily utensils, and even burial utensils.

during the Qin and Han dynasties, lacquer art has entered the golden age, known as "painting without tools", and spread to the surrounding areas at the same time, forming a bright cultural circle of lacquer art in East and Southeast Asia, shaping the unique temperament of Asian culture.

Nagori Oishi, a lifelong professor at Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan, called "lacquer" the "blood of God" and a gift from God to Asia.

but lacquer trees are not common even in East Asia.

lacquer trees need enough fertile land and plenty of water to grow, and they also need to be planted on slopes, which is a very luxurious tree species. At present, 95% of the raw lacquer in the world is produced in China.

the collection of lacquer is also ceremonial.

during the three-volt season every year, the lacquer farmers association goes to the mountains to pick lacquer in the early hours of the morning, makes a shallow cut on the lacquer tree, collects the liquid from the clamshell or bucket, and can cut more than 100 lacquer trees by sunrise, collecting about 2 jin of lacquer, which is very precious and is called "lacquer per jin for a hundred miles".

however, lacquer craftsmanship has declined since the Tang Dynasty, experiencing a history of daily entry, prosperity, and prohibition.

East to Japan, it has been carried forward and is still active in daily life and celebrations.

Lunshima painting is the most beautiful piece of Japanese lacquerware.

600 years of history, continuous improvement, adhere to lean.

the unique process subdivision process ensures the excellence of each link.

Masahiko Sakamoto was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1958.

A family of lacquerware makers came from Kyoto at the age of 20 to study lacquerware in Lunshima. He has been engaged in lacquerware for nearly 40 years.

the full-time lacquer painting process, with a lifetime of work, the skill will be pushed to the extreme.

each process takes time to wait, and it takes a year to make a bowl.

follow the most basic law, not for quick success, but natural success.

at present, there are as many as 22 certified traditional lacquer areas in Japan. But one of the most famous is in Lundao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which is known as "Lundao Tu".

Lunshima is a place that is surprisingly good for young Masahiko Sakamoto.

when he came here from Kyoto, he was an elder in his family who asked the local master to teach him how to paint.

at that time, he had long hair and was happy to go out on motorcycles with his friends. after graduating from school, he had been a "ronin" for a year and did not start to work or continue his studies.

but he, who comes from a family of lacquer artists, still has a heart that wants to learn craftsmanship.

he believes that learning lacquer can make him settle down.

but the lacquer maker in Kyoto did not accept him because he did not have a college degree.

when Masahiko Sakamoto was depressed, the elder of the family said, "go to Lunshima. There's what you want."

the difference between Lundao painting and lacquerware in other areas is that the division of labor is meticulous.

in Lunda, learning lacquerware is divided into processes, and everyone focuses on one process for ten years.

the completion of a Lundao painting requires the cooperation of many people; second, a solid and meticulous bottom tire, which is the key to making it famous all over the world, the key point is on the locally produced diatomite.

diatomite is calcined into powder from seaweed fossils and then ground. Because there are a large number of micro-gaps in the molecular structure of diatomite, it is easy for raw lacquer to drill into, so it can form a high-strength combination of lacquer and soil, which can not be done in other areas.

to maintain such a unique advantage, diatomite is strictly protected on the island: mining and production are carried out uniformly by the government, and after the production is completed, it is distributed to various workshops, and it is strictly forbidden to take it out of the city.

when it comes to the coating stage, it must be carried out in a closed clean room.

to ensure a dust-free environment, the painting master has to clean the studio several times a day. To reduce the dust in the air, the studio is the only one. Even in the hot summer, the upper coating room will turn off the air conditioner when working, because it is necessary to reduce airflow and pick up dust.

speaking of tools, another famous feature of Wheel Island must be mentioned here: sea Girl.

Haiku is a woman who catches abalone and sea urchins in the sea. The brushes are used when the painting is made of their hair.

because of its toughness and fine texture, it is not easy to leave brush marks.

the last smearing process consists of two steps: makeup (called "Tu Li" in Japanese) and pushes light ("Lu color" in Japanese).

make-up is the final finish of the topcoat, while the push light is polished repeatedly with special grinding charcoal to make the surface smooth, and some paint is added from time to time in the polishing process.

finally, rub gently with your hands. The unique deep and bright texture of lacquer itself emerges.

the whole process has124 Road, even the most common and most simple bowl, it will take a year, on this basis can be painted and Shen Jin and other craft decoration.

when you hold a Wheel Island lacquer bowl in your hand, you will feel amazing piety beneath the splendor of the surface.

Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki said, "when I hold a lacquer bowl of soup in my hand, I feel very happy with the weight and warmth of the soup in my palm, just like supporting the flesh of a newborn baby."

this may be the moral interpretation of Japanese lacquerware.

Lunshima painting is not only sturdy and durable but also praised for its exquisite Shen Jin and dill painting craftsmanship. In Japanese lacquer art, Shen Jin is the unique technique of Lundao painting, and it can also be said to be the most difficult technique.

what is Shen Jin? It first uses very fine tools to carve the pattern on the finished lacquer work bit by bit, and then sprinkle gold powder on it. Therefore, Shen Jin is very difficult and requires a great deal of patience.

the most important feature of this technique is that it can show the manner of birds and animals and fluffy feathers vividly. What is dill painting? Is to draw the pattern with a pen on the finished lacquer work, and then sprinkle gold powder on it.

artists can freely use their imagination to create works that are more abstract and contemporary. In the dill painting process, often with different types of gold, silver powder into the paint, extremely luxurious ability.

Masahiko Sakamoto likes the fresh seafood of Lundo, and he also likes this small city, which is full of sea breeze and a strong humanistic atmosphere all year round.

there are hundreds of paint workshops in Lunda. Walking on the streets of Luanda, the sign of "lacquer Lane" can be seen everywhere.

in the 1990s, the population of Lundao was less than 30,000, but the number of lacquer workers in the lacquer industry was more than 2000, accounting for 1/7 of the city's working population. When busy, there are still a large number of lacquer workers to join.

the total annual sales reached 9 billion yen, ranking first among the producing areas of traditional lacquer art in Japan.

the life of an apprentice is very difficult.

the lacquer workshop on Wheel Island is called the "longhouse". After the front of the craftsman, the front is arranged as the living space of paint, and the back is the craftsman's production space.

the traditional teacher worship system makes the disciples have a strong belief that I am a disciple of the workshop and cannot bring shame to the teacher.

the disciple's period of practice is four years. At first, he started from cleaning work, sorting out tools and materials, and gradually became the master's assistant, mastering various skills in the process until he became a teacher.

if he still has no grades in his fifth year, he will be thrown out. Masahiko Sakamoto, who played truant to watch movies when he was a student, is very dedicated to his studies.

although he only does one process in his life, every craftsman is proud of it and puts his heart into it. Now, Masahiko Sakamoto has been in practice for nearly 40 years, and he has repeated the same painting action many times.

there are at least 100,000 lacquer bowls made in his hands. But now his every move, still with the piety of success, endless skills, only to the extreme efforts.

time is easy to pass. Look at the craftsmen on the island. There seems to be no change in life, which requires a lot of calmness and persistence. In fact, outside the world of craftsmen, there are also many practical things.

there are more and more young people working outside lacquer ware on the island, but the craftsmen still keep peace of mind, which seems to be the rule laid down in their circles.

in addition to his daily work, Masahiko Sakamoto still has a lively urchin state of mind in his spare time. He continues the exercise habit of his youth, walking ten kilometers every day, actively participating in walking training courses, having happy parties with friends, and enthusiastically participating in every festival.

his friend said that he often thought about making all kinds of gadgets, including keyrings and brooches, all lacquerware.

his wife, a painter, also said that when he came home from work, he would sometimes work with her to explore the practice of lacquer work.

for Masahiko Sakamoto, life is associated with lacquer art, which should not change. And he is happy to make such a connection. Lacquer was once a skill he longed for, and he devoted himself to it and reaped a satisfactory life.

this seems to be the most perfect way of life for a craftsman.

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in Wheel Island, craftsmen who do craftsmanship do not change their ways to save labor and change materials but ponder their craftsmanship thoughtfully. There is no quick way, and everything has to wait for time.

such an ecology, such an atmosphere, such a state of mind, is the key to the deep inheritance of craftsmanship. Lacquerware has a soul, and no other type of craft in Japan can be made with so much effort and time.

the craftsman spent his whole life making lacquer and unconsciously had a real awareness of life and death.

holding lacquerware in hand, you can feel the soft, moist, and firm texture, which is exactly what lacquerware is trying to convey to us.