Traditional craft
Hidehira Nuri
秀衡塗
Red and black lacquerware from Iwate decorated with gold-leaf clouds and diamonds, rooted in the golden age of Hiraizumi's Fujiwara lords.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 22 May 1985
- Type
- Lacquerware
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 秀衡塗
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 盛岡市、花巻市、一関市、奥州市、平泉町、滝沢市
Gold diamonds on red and black
Hidehira Nuri is decorated after old Hidehira bowls handed down in the area: Genji clouds combined with yusoku-bishi, an elegant pattern of diamonds, in gold leaf on red and black lacquer. The gold must be at least 96.6% pure. It is made in Hiraizumi, Ichinoseki, Oshu, Morioka, Hanamaki and Takizawa in Iwate, as bowls, trays, sweet dishes, stacked boxes and tea ware.
The strongest base
Hidehira Nuri uses honkataji, said to be the strongest lacquer base. Dried wood such as horse chestnut or zelkova is hardened with raw lacquer, weak spots are covered with cloth, and layers of lacquer mixed with powder are applied and stoned smooth again and again before the top coats and gold leaf.
From Hiraizumi's golden age
Hidehira Nuri began in the late Heian period at Hiraizumi, under the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who brought rich Buddhist art to the north, including the golden Konjikido hall of Chuson-ji. Its history in the centuries after the Fujiwara fell is still unclear, but from the late Edo period lacquerware was made actively in Koromogawa village next to Hiraizumi, and the craft continues today.
Good to know
- Pair Hidehira Nuri with a visit to Chuson-ji in Hiraizumi, whose golden hall reflects the same Fujiwara culture.
- A Hidehira bowl is a dignified gift; the gold diamonds are its signature.
Questions travellers ask
What is the Hidehira pattern?
Genji clouds combined with yusoku-bishi diamonds in gold leaf on red and black lacquer.
Who were the Oshu Fujiwara?
A powerful clan who ruled from Hiraizumi in the late Heian period and built Chuson-ji's golden hall.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.