VOL.4 | URUSHI
2020.10.16
When we were looking for a coating to be applied to canvas fablic for this autumn/winter collection, we came across Eijutsu Kawakatsu's white lacquer vessels at a gallery. I fell in love with its colour and texture, which led to the birth of ATON's white lacquer field jacket. Later, I visited Kawakatsu's workshop in Kyoto and realised that we have many things in common in our aspirations towards craftsmanship. We are delighted to be able to introduce this one-of-a-kind lacquerware to you.
白漆器 | SHIRO-URUSHI
At the White Lacquer Exhibition, Eijutsu Kawakatsu will exhibit and sell his white lacquerware pieces. In addition to the usual white lacquerware pieces, ATON's special-order white lacquerware will also be on sale. (12 models in total)
Kawakatsu, Eijutsu
Born 1941 in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Studied Western painting at Kyoto City University of Arts and aspired to become a painter. Later worked as an illustrator, copywriter and interior decorator in more than 20 different occupations before being trained in 'monozukuri' by Shiro Banura of Otowa Kobo. Since 1985, he has had his own workshop in Hanabusa, Rakuhoku, Kyoto, where he has been making 'light lacquered woodware' using paulownia wood, doing the entire process by hand from wood cutting to top-coating.
SUVIN GARMENT DYE | HOODIE / PULLOVER SWEATSHIRT_SHIRO-URUSHI
ATON's standard item, SUVIN GARMENT DYE | HOODIE / PULLOVER SWEATSHIRT, will be on sale at the "Shiro-urushi Exhibition" as a special order item with the A mark on the left chest printed in white lacquer.
ATON ONLINE 23 Oct (Fri) 12:00 - sales start
URUSHI
This issue introduces 'white lacquer'.
Black and vermilion are the most commonly known colours of lacquerware, but it is less well known that other colours exist. Lacquer (*①) is essentially sap, so the undiluted liquid is a clear brown colour.
Various colours can be produced by kneading pigments such as vermilion and black into this brown lacquer solution, but only pure white lacquer cannot be produced, which inevitably has a slightly brownish appearance.
The shade, which is a lighter shade of camel, has a soft and elegant texture and is a 'warm white' that goes well with the 2020 FW ATON seasonal colour of 'trees of the world'.
It is said that lacquer started to be used in Japan as tools and vessels during rituals in the Jomon period, but the history of white lacquer is short and its development dates back to the Taisho period.
The creation of white lacquer, which is a mixture of white powder and lacquer, was a historic event in the world of lacquer, which at the time was only black and vermilion.
The attraction of white lacquer is that the colour of white lacquer changes. White lacquer becomes whiter and whiter as time goes by. Immediately after the top coat of white lacquer (immediately after completion), which is a mixture of lacquer and coloured powder, the transparent brown colour of the lacquer prevails and the brown colour is rather darkly visible. As time goes by, the lacquer slowly becomes whiter and the colour of the lacquer becomes more subdued, changing to a 'warm white' (*②). The same phenomenon occurs with black and vermilion lacquer, but it is less noticeable than white. This change can be seen as a characteristic of natural paints.
ITEM | FIELD COAT
ITEM | N BAG（ S / M / L ）