Traditional craft
Ouchi Nuri
大内塗
Lacquerware from Yamaguchi in muted Ouchi red, painted with autumn grasses and clouds and set with the clan's gold diamond crest.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 11 April 1989
- Type
- Lacquerware
- Region
- Chugoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 大内塗
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 山口市、萩市
Ouchi red and gold diamonds
Ouchi Nuri carries the memory of Yamaguchi's past as the Kyoto of the West. On a muted Ouchi red ground, autumn grasses are painted in yellow-green lacquer, clouds are added, and the Ouchi-bishi diamond crest of the Ouchi family is applied in gold leaf. It is made in Yamaguchi and Hagi in Yamaguchi as round trays, small plates, tea saucers and dolls.
Four stages
The work falls into four stages: woodwork, base coats, lacquering and decoration. Ouchi bowls get a persimmon-tannin base and a hana-nuri coat of red bengara lacquer, then gold leaf and lacquer painting are added.
An export of the Ouchi clan
Ouchi Nuri is said to have begun when the Ouchi clan, who ruled this region in the Muromachi period, promoted lacquerware as an important export in their trade with Korea and Ming China. Korean records describe this trade, and a 1485 Ouchi house law lists fees for lacquering sword hilts and scabbards. Trade ended when the clan fell in 1552, but everyday lacquer making continued through the Edo period to today.
Good to know
- An Ouchi bowl said to date from the clan's time is kept at the Mori Museum in Hofu.
- Ouchi lacquer dolls make a colourful Yamaguchi souvenir.
Questions travellers ask
What is the Ouchi-bishi?
The diamond-shaped family crest of the Ouchi clan, applied in gold leaf on Ouchi Nuri.
Why is Yamaguchi called the Kyoto of the West?
Under the Ouchi clan in the Muromachi period, Yamaguchi flourished as a cultural centre in western Japan.
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.