Traditional craft
Echizen Shikki
越前漆器
Glossy lacquerware from Fukui, also called Kawada-nuri, said to date back to the 6th century and prized for its flawless finish.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 10 May 1975
- Type
- Lacquerware
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 越前漆器
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 福井市、鯖江市、越前市
A flawless final coat
Echizen Shikki, also known as Kawada-nuri, is admired for its sturdy base, deep gloss and graceful shapes. Its signature finish is hana-nuri: the final coat is brushed on so carefully that no brush marks or dust remain, and it is left to dry without polishing. It is made in Sabae, Echizen and Fukui in Fukui as bowls, meal tables, trays and stacked boxes.
Persimmon, soot and lacquer
- Turned pieces are cut from horse chestnut, mizume or zelkova with the grain running vertically.
- Their base is persimmon tannin mixed with charcoal powder and pine soot, applied again and again.
- Board pieces get a base of raw lacquer, jinoko powder and rice paste.
- Middle and top coats are brushed on with refined lacquer, then chinkin or maki-e may be added.
A crown and a bowl
Echizen Shikki is said to go back to the 6th century. According to the story, a lacquerer was ordered by the emperor of the time to recoat his crown, and he also presented black-lacquered tableware. The emperor was so impressed by its gloss that he encouraged its production. Today the work is shared among woodworkers, lacquerers and decorators.
Good to know
- Sabae's Kawada district is the heart of Echizen lacquer and a good place to see workshops.
- Look closely at a hana-nuri surface: it should be glossy without any brush marks.
Questions travellers ask
What is Kawada-nuri?
Another name for Echizen Shikki, after the Kawada area where it is made.
What is hana-nuri?
A finish where the last coat of lacquer is brushed on cleanly and left to dry without polishing.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
- Echizen-Fukui: 400 years of towns built in stone
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- The railway across the sea: Nagahama, Tsuruga and Imajo
- The Six Ancient Kilns: pottery born and raised in Japan
- Wakasa and the Saba Kaido: the mackerel road to Kyoto
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.