“Tsugaru nuri” and wooden base craftsman, Tsuchida Workshop

2015.6.212019.4.23

“Tsugaru nuri”, Craftwork representing Aomori

“Tsugaru nuri” is a craft which represents the Tsugaru area. It is said to have begun during the reign of Nobumasa Tsugaru, a lord of the Hirosaki clan in the middle of the Edo era. The first thing to catch your eye is the complex and beautiful pattern. The technique used to create this is called “togidashi kawari nuri”, which is the process of shaving off the lacquer layer by layer. Another characteristic of “Tsugaru nuri” is that it is sturdy, making it highly practical. The artisan who creates this is the wooden base craftsman. As the name implies, wooden base craftwork is the wooden base before the lacquer is applied. The wooden base craftsman can be roughly divided into two groups; a “joiner” who combines the slabs, and “wooden base creator” who makes vessels using a potter’s wheel. “urushi nuri” is complete only after lacquer is applied to the wooden base created by the wooden base craftsmen.

Everything is made by hand when creating the wooden base

There were more than 30 wooden base craftsmen at the end of the Edo era, but currently, only a few remain. We visited one of the active workshops, Tsuchida Woodwork Studio. The craftsman who spoke to us was Wataru Tsuchida. He told us, ”My grandfather used to be a joiner for furniture.” The material used is mostly Aomori cypress. Cypress is very durable but soft, so it is best for ”urushi nuri”, he said.
Most of the sawing and conversion of lumber is done with machines, while other, more precise work such as assembly and finishing are done by hand. They demonstrated how they shave off the corners of a square tray. The four side pieces combined and the small pieces of wood that is joining them is shaved with a plane. Different plane sizes are used. Sometimes, bold strokes are used, while at other times, delicate movements are used to finish. It requires minute adjustments in millimeters. It is truly the work of artisans.

Wooden bases created with the lacquer painters in mind

Wooden base craftsmen make the wooden base for the lacquer to be applied. So the final work is completed by the ”nurishi” or lacquer painter in their workshop. When Nakata asked, ”Do you feel sad that your creation doesn’t remain with you?”, Tsuchida smiled a little and answered ”Yes.”
”But I enjoy the creative process. Most of the time, it’s my job to create what the ”nurishi” requests. But many orders are not that detailed, so there’s room to include my own ideas. It’s fun to create while I think about how to make that happen.”
Tsuchida creates the wooden base taking into account the habits of the ”nurishi”. He said ”There would be no wooden base craftsmen if there weren’t any ”nurishi””. On the other hand, it’s also true that the ”nurishi” can’t do their job if it weren’t for the wooden base craftsmen. ”Tsugaru nuri” craft which represents Tsugaru, is supported by the hands of many artisans.
Image: ⓒTEKUTEKU editing unit