The origins of Joboji lacquerware are said to lie in the production of lacquer used in the construction and restoration of temples built during the Kamakura period. In the Joboji region, lacquer trees have been cultivated since ancient times, and lacquer tapping techniques developed. Later, the production of lacquerware using the harvested lacquer took root as a local industry, and it became a familiar everyday item.

In Joboji, nestled in the northern mountains, lacquer trees grow in a quiet forest. A single drop of lacquer, harvested over many years, is transformed into vessels by the hands of artisans, and passed down through generations along with the local culture and traditions.

特徴

浄法寺塗の特別さは、器を塗る技だけでなく、その漆を育み採る営みまでが同じ土地に息づいていることにある。岩手の森で採られた一滴の漆は、職人の手によって幾度も塗り重ねられ、静かな艶を宿す器へと姿を変える。漆を採る人と塗る人、その技が一つの地域で受け継がれてきた風景は全国でも稀であり、浄法寺塗は土地そのものの物語を映した漆器なのである。

Features

The uniqueness of Joboji lacquerware lies not only in the technique of applying the lacquer to the vessels, but also in the fact that the entire process of cultivating and harvesting the lacquer is rooted in the same land. A single drop of lacquer harvested from the forests of Iwate is repeatedly applied by the hands of craftsmen, transforming it into a vessel imbued with a quiet luster. The sight of the lacquer harvesters and the lacquerers, and the techniques passed down within the same region, is rare throughout Japan, and Joboji lacquerware reflects the story of the land itself.

御山御器

浄法寺塗に古くから伝わる三つ椀。

大・中・小の椀を重ねて収納できる実用的な器であり、日々の食卓とともに受け継がれてきた。簡素な造形の中に、国産漆の深い艶と確かな手仕事が息づいている。