Beautiful, vintage, Natsume Tea Caddy laquered with Urushi Makie technique , come with original wood box .

Beautiful, vintage, Natsume Tea Caddy laquered with Urushi Makie technique , come with original wood box .

Japanese Tea Ceremony  1960s

Size box: 9.5 cm H x 8.5 cm W x 8.5 cm L

Size tea caddy: 7 cm H x 6.5 cm diameter

What is a Urushi Makie technique?

Maki-e, which translates literally into “sprinkled pictures”, is a Japanese lacquerware technique that weaves together lacquer patterns and shimmering powders of precious metals. Born around 1200 years ago during the Heian period (794-1187), it is achieved by painting intricate lacquer designs onto a surface and sprinkling these fine powders onto its still-wet surface. Maki-e’s three main techniques include tokidashi maki-e, hiramaki-e, and takamaki-e. The craftsman’s choice of technique, or a fusion thereof, then depends on the complexity of the design. Initially a luxury exclusive to court nobles, possessions embellished with Maki-e gradually became a symbol of power for families and military leaders in the Edo period (1603-1868).

What is a Natsume?

Natsume are lacquered wooden containers which are primarily used to store and present the matcha used for making usucha (thin tea).

The most formal or shin-natsume are coated with undecorated black lacquer, while red, vermillion, decorated, and unlacquered natsume are varying degrees more informal. Some common decorative styles are maki-e (paintings, such as the common egret or golden bamboo motifs; negoro, a pattern of small black smears on a red base, mimicking the effect of parts of the outer red layer of lacquer wearing away to reveal black underneath; and koma (spinning top) with painted horizontal stripes of green, red, and white mimicking the appearance of a fast-spinning top.