Yutaro Shimode

Comparison of Characteristics Recognition in the “Mitate” of Urushi Crafts

Urushi crafts is one of the Japanese traditional crafts. Urushi painting and “Maki-e” decoration of these Urushi crafts works were removed by usage for many years. Experts of Urushi crafts have repaired and restored them correctly by gain an insight into their conditions, materials and techniques. They can understand the contained information by watching the works. This observation method is called “Mitate”. In this study, it was aimed to examine how to conduct Mitate when Urushi craftspeople look at the works. As a result, it is considered that expert craftspeople could ensure the characteristics recognition by gaining and combining more information from the work than the other subject.

Study on Method of Observing Maki-e Crafts Work in Urushi Craftspeople

Urushi crafts is a representative traditional crafts in Japan. Good Urushi crafts work had made in various periods in history in Japan, and it has been kept by the policymaker, shrine, temple and a person on the street. Urushi crafts work is damaged and Urushi comes off over a course of a long period of time. Urushi craftspeople need to identify the characteristics and conditions of the work when it is repaired because they can’t repair the work appropriately. When the craftspeople identify the characteristics and conditions of the work, they observe the work by the naked eye. This observation technique is called “Mitate”. This research aimed to know difference of a motion of the Urushi crafts work between the expert Urushi craftspeople and the non-expert Urushi craftspeople when they conduct the Mitate. The motion of the specimen and subject’s head were measured when the expert and non-expert Urushi craftspeople conducted the Mitate of the Maki-e specimen. As the results, it is found that the expert can identify the change in appearance of Maki-e surface by moving the specimen up and down a little. Furthermore, he can skip the up-and-down motion and shorten the observation time by comparing one specimen with the other specimen in the case of the different number of the gold powder.

Colorimetry and Impression Evaluation of Insert Molded GFRP Plate with Black Silk Fabrics

Black silk fabric, a traditional craft produced using the Kyo-Yuzen dyeing technique, is another luxury product. The intention behind the present report is to mold Urushi-like glass fiber-reinforced plastic, using black silk fabric. We first manufactured a glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) molded plate consisting of various laminate layers, and compared the surface color with Urushi products. Subsequently, we used an impression evaluation to reveal how the glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) molded plate using black silk fabric was rated. As the results of this study, it was confirmed that; L* and a* value of FRP sample was similar to the Urushi sample, FRP sample was bluer than the Urushi sample according to b* value, and C* value of FRP sample was higher than the Urushi sample. About half of the subject regarded GFRP using black silk fabric with the lightness similar to the Urushi product as Urushi product in the impression evaluation. The sample regarded as the Urushi product makes subject more feel “Beauty”, “Sense of luxury and high quality”, “Gloss” and “Depth of blackness” than the sample not regarded as the Urushi product. Evaluation point of the subject regarded the FRP sample as the Urushi product showed a strong association between “Beauty” and “Sense of luxury and high quality”, between “Beauty” and “Gloss”, between “Sense of luxury and high quality” and “Gloss”.

Study on the Degradation Mechanism of the Urushi Products

Japanese lacquer is called “Urushi” in Japanese. Urushi have meanings such as Urushi tree, its resin and also Urushi crafts. Urushi has been used 9000 years ago in Japan. In this long history, Urushi crafts techniques have been developed, refined and inherited by many Urushi craftspeople. As a result, Urushi affect Japanese culture and aesthetic feeling greatly.Urushi has various characteristics. For example, Urushi coating surface is very smooth and glossy. And more, Urushi is strong to acid and alkali. However it is very weak to ultraviolet rays. As a result, Urushi coating is degraded very quickly in sunlight.In this study, 6 specimens were prepared by painting 6 kinds of Urushi resins on PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) boards. Weathering tests of these 6 specimens were done to clarify the degradation of Urushi coating. Additionally, L* value (Brightness), C* value (Chroma) were also measured by spectrophotometric colorimeter to investigate the influence of the degradation on the optical characteristics. Both L* value and C* value were increased after weathering test in most specimens. Glossiness values of specimens were measured by gloss checker. As a result, glossiness values were decreased after weathering test in most specimens.There was a difference in advance of degradation according to the kind of Urushi. Then when Urushi is used, there are necessities of proper use and change of refining method for Urushi.Copyright

Comparison of Description Skill on Characteristics of the Urushi Crafts Work Between Expert Craftspeople and Non-expert Craftspeople

Many of Urushi crafts works have been collected as an art in the museum and art museum. They have been treasured, but some of them spent several hundred years being made, and need to be repaired. Urushi crafts people can repair these works. Before they repair them, they need to observe the condition of the work by the naked eye. This observation is called “Mitate”. Expert Urushi craftspeople can identify many characteristics by conducting the Mitate, and they can plan to repair the Urushi crafts work. This research aimed to examine how to understand the characteristics of the making process in the Urushi craftspeople. Urushi craftspeople conducted the Mitate, and they described the making process, material and so on. As the result, it is found that the Urushi craftspeople with long year of experience can identify the detail characteristics like the number of metallic powder in the Maki-e making process.

Effect of Skill Level Difference in the Polishing Process of the Maki-e Making Technique

In this research, “Maki-e” technique was focused. Maki-e technique is a decoration technique of Urushi crafts technique. There is a polishing process in the Maki-e making process. Maki-e surface is polished by a charcoal and whetstone in the polishing process. Time-served technique is needed for this process. Because this process affects a finish of Urushi crafts work, this research aimed to clarify a relationship between a skill level difference of craftspeople and a finish of Urushi crafts work in the polishing process by using charcoal. Characteristics of the finish Urushi crafts work and how to use a body of craftspeople was analyzed. As the results of this research, it was confirmed that; 1. The expert’s Maki-e specimen was more brightness and yellow than the non-expert. 2. There was not much difference about the gloss and surface roughness between the expert and the non-expert. 3. The expert took the rhythmic activity in each muscle. Therefore it seemed that the finish of the work became more beautiful. These results suggest that how to use the body affects the finish of the Urushi crafts work in the polishing process. The non-expert can improve the finish of the work and the level of polishing skill by training the body position and motion like the expert.