Hardcover Journal - Karakusa - Mini - Lined - Paperblanks

Japanese Lacquer Boxes Collection

The ingenuity and grace of the ancient craft of lacquerware are celebrated in our rereleased Japanese Lacquer Boxes series. These covers portray masterful examples of 19th-century Japanese lacquer boxes made during the Edo or Meiji period. The exquisite boxes are currently held in a private collection in Kyoto.

The lacquerware boxes are crafted in the Maki-e tradition, in which sap from the lacquer tree is sprinkled with metallic powder, such as gold, silver or copper, to create luxurious designs. Over the centuries, craftspeople learned to use this sap, which hardens to a brilliant, glossy coating, as a finish to decorate and protect favoured wood and paper objects. These fine lacquered surfaces are evidence of the uniquely human ability to create beauty from unlikely sources.

A karakusa is an arabesque design of vines or branches and was a popular motif for creating lacquerware. This style, using gold powder sprinkled onto lacquer, developed during the Heian period and thrived in the Edo period, the era from which this design likely originates.

Specifications:

• Hardcover 100% recycled binder boards
• FSC-certified 85gsm Laid Paper
• Smyth Sewn
• Ribbon marker
• Elastic band closure
• 176 pages 

Dimensions: 9.5 x 14 x 1.8 cm (Mini)