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A
British Woman Fascinated
By the Intricacies of Japanese Lacquerwork |
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Situated
in the northern part of the Noto Peninsula
in Ishikawa Prefecture, jutting out into the
Sea of Japan, Wajima City is renowned for
its lacquerware, considered to be one of the
leading Japanese traditional crafts. Of all
of the lacquer-producing areas in Japan it
is the only one that has been designated as
an "Intangible Cultural Asset of Japan."
The intricate skills of the Wajima craftsmen
produce a broad range of elegant lacquerware
pieces. There are as many as 124 steps involved
in the production process and the quality
of Wajima Lacquerware depends on the skills
of its craftsmen, which have been progressively
cultivated throughout history.
Fascinated by the intricacies of its beauty
and timelessness, Suzanne Ross, originally
from England, has lived in Wajima for more
than 17 years and has immersed herself in
the profound world of Wajima Lacquerware as
an independent artist. The Real Japan explores
her odyssey. |
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| From
London to Wajima |
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Influenced
by her grandmother, a fashion designer, and
her mother, a hair designer, Suzanne Ross
had no hesitation about her future direction
after graduating from high school, determined
to study art and design. She came across urushi,
the sap of the Japanese urushi tree and the
core ingredient that defines Japanese lacquerware.
"My encounter with urushi lacquerware
pieces dates back to 1982 while I was an art
school student. There was an exhibition focusing
on Japanese Art held at the Royal Academy
in London. I happened to see an ink-stone
case and a folding screen produced in the
Edo period and was instantly fascinated by
them. It was love at first sight. These works
struck a chord in my heart. The lacquered
black on the surface, along with the meticulous
ornamentation, was so stunning that I felt
as if I was being drawn into the infinite
universe."
Ross set her mind on going to Japan in search
of a lacquerware teacher in spite of the fact
that she did not speak a word of Japanese.
Not having any knowledge of urushi, she thought
that it was just something applied to the
surface much like paint, and that it would
only take three months at most to master all
the techniques. When coming to Japan, however,
she was taken aback by the intricacies of
the art.
Ross found a job as an English teacher in
Nagano Prefecture and traveled from there
to various lacquer-producing cities in Japan.
Having learned that Wajima was the most famous
and representative of all Japanese lacquerware,
she decided to head for Wajima.
Ross contacted several lacquer workshops in
Wajima directly, only to find that they had
no interest in accepting her as an apprentice;
some of them even refused to teach women.
Luckily, she was able to become a student
at Wajima Lacquerware Art Institute, a government-subsidized
institution headed by a living national treasure
and founded for the purpose of cultivating
excellence in craftsmanship so that this master
craft can be passed down to future generations.
She applied for the institute and was enrolled
in the foundation course.
Awaiting her however, was an unexpected development.
When she returned to London briefly before
entering the institute, she fell in love with
a man she had known for a while and postponed
her entrance to the institute. Although she
valued her relationship with him very much,
it was impossible for her to cut off her odyssey
with urushi. A year later she put him on the
spot by asking him to choose between two options
- whether to go with her to Wajima or to split
up. Her boyfriend opted for the former. Ross
was able to continue her odyssey of Japanese
lacquerware, not knowing how long it would
take her to master it. |
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| A
Struggle against the Establishment |
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Entrance
to the institute was to be the beginning of
a long struggle; Ross had two major obstacles
to face. One was, of course, the language
barrier. The other was the deep-rooted Japanese
tradition of the artisan spirit; skills are
not things that are taught, but things that
should be stolen from masters through careful
observation.
"I was trying very hard to become able
to understand the art as quickly as I could
despite the language barrier. When I asked
my teacher why certain things should be done
using specific ways, he told me not to ask
any questions and instead to steal. To me
this was shocking and unacceptable."
Her passion moved some of the teachers, who
were kind enough to reply to her questions.
For Ross, it didn't make any difference whether
he was an ordinary teacher or a living national
treasure. In fact, if anything living national
treasures were to be more questioned.
Having finished the foundation course, she
moved on to the Makie Course, one of the advanced
courses. She intended to master both lacquering
and decorating techniques as in the future
she might have to do both when she returned
to England. Makie is one of the techniques
for adding ornamental designs to lacquered
surfaces.
Her individual manner, which lacked sufficient
respect and understanding for Japanese customs
placing emphasis on hierarchy and group harmony,
once led to an incident. Ross designed a jewelry
box for her graduation work. Her carpentry
request for the wooden base was turned down
by the institute since it would cost too much
and no one had made anything like it before.
She took her request over the institute straight
to the top of the organization and was able
to get the permission she needed, although
it was not appropriate to do so. In spite
of the ensuing uproar, she managed to stick
to her guns and complete her graduation work
which is still on display at the institute.
Just as she had finished her five years of
studies, her first daughter was born. She
spent the subsequent 12 years bringing her
up and a second daughter five years later
while continuing to work as an artist. |
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| Passion
for Urushi |
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Influenced
by her grandmother, a fashion designer, and
her mother, a hair designer, Suzanne Ross
had no hesitation about her future direction
after graduating from high school, Although
Ross intends to preserve traditional lacquerware
techniques through using the best materials
and learning with the master craftsmen, this
is not her ultimate goal.
Her work symbolizes deep respect for tradition
and innovation that breaks away from the norm.
These two characteristics seem to be in perfect
harmony in her pieces as can be seen, for
example, in a bowl decorated with French lace
and a plate decorated with European flowers
and plants.
Her love for urushi leads her to make critical
comments about the conservative world of Wajima
lacquerware. She says,"Wajima Lacquerware
artisans should broaden their horizons and
learn something from Europe and incorporate
some design into the next generation of lacquerware
pieces. I don't think people will appreciate
lacquerware if you keep churning out the same
products. I strongly believe that Japan should
introduce urushi abroad. This does not mean
that you can produce wine glasses using urushi.
If you have any inkling of wine culture, you
know that there is no point producing something
that you can't see inside. If you want to
promote yourself in the world, you should
do research on other markets." She wishes
to be a bridge between the parochial Japanese
craftsmen and Europe which has no urushi expertise.
Ross deplores the fact that many Japanese
people regard urushi to be so expensive and
that it is too cumbersome to be used on a
daily basis. Lacquerware pieces should not
only be displayed on a shelf. The more frequently
you use them, the more the luster deepens
and the more beautiful they become. If you
don't use them, they may even crack. As long
as you use them properly, they will last for
a long time, even 100 years. Considering its
quality and lifespan, urushi is not expensive.
I would rather my pieces were bought by people
who wish to use them." |
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| Her
Odyssey Continues |
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"When I first came to Japan, I thought
I would only stay here for three months or
six months at most. I have been in Japan for
nearly 24 years. That's amazing, isn't it?"
Ross lives in a house beside a river, a 10-minute
drive from the centre of Wajima. "When
we moved in, this old house had been deserted
for seven years and we had no access to water,
electricity, gas or telephone. It was so hard
to live here at first, but my husband, with
the help of some friends, renovated the house
and barn as a studio so that we are now able
to live comfortably. In Europe it is natural
for people to renovate old houses to live
in."
Although she has studied lacquering techniques
and the decorative Makie techniques and has
her own workshop called, "Ross Studios,"
her learning seems never to end. "Urushi
is a complex world. I have spent half of my
life working on it. It is so time consuming."
When reflecting on her first encounter with
urushi in London, her odyssey with urushi
really does seem never to end. |
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