Traditional craft
Naruko Shikki
鳴子漆器
Lacquerware from Naruko in Miyagi, known for clear coats that show off the wood grain and ryumon-nuri, a swirling pattern like flowing ink.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 20 May 1991
- Type
- Lacquerware
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 鳴子漆器
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 大崎市
Wood grain and ink swirls
Naruko Shikki has several looks. Kijiro-nuri uses clear lacquer so the wood grain shows. Fuki-urushi wipes lacquer into the wood again and again until only its colour remains. Ryumon-nuri, Naruko's own technique, creates patterns like ink poured on water. Traditional nuritate pieces have a soft, calm beauty. It is made in Osaki in Miyagi, as trays, tea saucers, stacked boxes and sweet dishes.
Four stages
Work divides into making the wood base, the foundation, lacquering and decoration. Bases are turned on a lathe, built as boxes, or bent from thin boards. After the foundation and black lacquer are polished, the top coat is either left to dry as brushed (hana-nuri) or polished to a mirror shine (roiro). Some pieces get maki-e decoration.
Trained in Kyoto
In the early Edo period, the local lord sent Naruko's lacquer and maki-e craftsmen to Kyoto to train, to build up the craft. A book from the late 18th century lists lacquerware, chopsticks and toothpicks among Naruko's products, showing lacquer was already a key local industry.
Good to know
- Look for ryumon-nuri; no two swirl patterns are alike.
- A Naruko tea saucer or small tray is an easy gift to pack.
Questions travellers ask
What is ryumon-nuri?
Naruko's own technique that creates swirling patterns like ink flowing on water.
What is kijiro-nuri?
A clear lacquer finish that lets the wood grain show through.
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.