How Japan's Precious Lacquer is Harvested by Hand | Urushi Artist Kenji Honma
- Andy McIlvain
- Aug 9
- 1 min read
Video from Victoria and Albert Museum
How Japan's Precious Lacquer is Harvested by Hand | Urushi Artist Kenji Honma
"Urushi is the sap of the urushi tree, which grows in East Asia. Once refined, it is used as a lacquer coating, prized for its durability and distinctive lustre. Urushi lacquer has been used in Japan for thousands of years.
Japanese artist Kenji Honma works in a unique way. Trained in urushi harvesting and woodturning, he grows the trees, harvests the sap, refines the lacquer, shapes the timber, and finishes each sculptural vessel – all using the natural materials that he cultivates himself.
Filmed in the Okukuji region of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan's second-largest centre for urushi tree harvesting, this documentary follows Honma through the whole process. From tapping urushi trees that have grown for more than a decade, refining the sap, shaping the timber and applying layer after layer of refined urushi – all whilst fresh saplings emerge to sustainably continue the cycle.
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00:00 Meet urushi artist Kenji Honma
00:47 Harvesting natural urushi sap by hand
02:15 Refining the sap for clarity and consistency
05:26 Growing and caring for urushi forests
06:37 Shaping sculptural vessels from harvested urushi trees
10:44 Applying layers of urushi lacquer
13:26 Curing and finishing techniques
14:32 Honma on beauty, tradition and the future of urushi
from the video introduction
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