400 Year Tradition of Takaoka Lacquerware in Toyama - Photos

On Friday 8 November, we hosted a discussion with Takeshi Musashigawa, the fourth-generation head of Musashigawa Kobo, and Masami Yamada, Curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, at The Swedenborg Society.

Musashigawa started with a lecture on Takaoka Lacquerware, covering its 400-year history and techniques like raden (mother-of-pearl inlay), kashoku, and chokoku-nuri. He also explained the division-of-labor system in Takaoka Lacquerware, where different artisans specialize in various stages of the process, and how his role as a raden artist fits into this system. Musashigawa shared that he draws much of his inspiration from his family and everyday life, and continues to be creative by incorporating traditional techniques into modern and everyday items, ensuring the craft remains relevant and accessible in contemporary settings.

After the lecture, Musashigawa spoke with Yamada about his family’s long history in the craft and his personal journey as a raden artist. The event continued with a live demonstration of the raden technique, where Musashigawa showed how he applies delicate mother-of-pearl inlays to lacquer surfaces.

The event concluded with a Q&A, where attendees had the chance to ask Musashigawa about his work and experiences. He also presented some of his lacquerware in person, giving guests the chance to see the detailed craftsmanship up close.

Thank you to Takeshi Musashigawa, Masami Yamada, and to Toyama Prefecture and Mizu to Takumi for their collaboration in making this event possible.