Heirs to Kyoto Talent: Maki-e Artisan Uses Brilliant Skill to Preserve Traditional Lacquerware Craft

KYOTO — “Shikkoku,” which uses the character for “lacquer” and means “jet black,” is the perfect word to describe the deep and lustrous surface of lacquerware. Maki-e is a technique in which gold powder and other materials are sprinkled on this lacquered surface to create patterns and designs as if ...