Tatsuaki Kuroda Retrospective: Journey of a Wood and Lacquer Master; Kyoto Museum Exhibits Wooden Treasures

Vermilion lacquered three-mirror cabinets are on display in an exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. The left one, made in 1934 and owned by the museum, was used by the famous actress Mie Hama.
17:00 JST, February 2, 2025
KYOTO — A retrospective exhibition of Tatsuaki Kuroda (1904-1982), a wood and lacquer artist and living national treasure, is being held at the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. About 230 works are on display showcasing the career of this great master who caused a stir in the history of Japanese crafts.
Kuroda was born in Kyoto in 1904 to a family that ran a workshop where base materials were given their first layer of lacquer.
At that time, lacquering was done with a division of labor in which each worker did only a specific task, such as applying a design, preparing base materials or adding finishing touches. Kuroda’s father was a skilled lacquerer, but his name was not publicly known because only lacquer craftsmen who applied the final makie decorations were said to have got the spotlight.
Kuroda had doubts about the situation and started doing the entire process by himself. He added an artistic touch to everyday items, which eventually led to him becoming known as an artist.
“From the very beginning, Kuroda had a clear focus on what he wanted to create, and he spent a lifetime digging into it,” said Tomohiro Daicho, chief researcher in charge of the retrospective.
In 1970, Kuroda became the first person to be designated as a living national treasure in the field of woodworking. He specialized in three techniques: fuki-urushi using clear lacquer, shu-urushi using vermilion lacquer and raden inlay using the inner layer of iridescent shells.
The fuki-urushi technique is traditionally used to protect the surface of wood. Clear lacquer is applied to a surface and then wiped off. The wood gradually absorbs the lacquer after several applications, making the wood thicker and accentuating its grain. Kuroda reinterpreted the technique: Rather than just applying a coating, he brought out the texture at the surface of the wood and increased the wood’s presence, emphasizing wood grain as a design element.
The shu-urushi technique, which uses vermilion lacquer, hides the wood grain but accentuates the contours and dynamic, swirling forms that Kuroda is typically known for.

This box decorated with the raden inlay technique using Mexican abalone was made in 1969 and comes from a private collection. It highlights the shell’s beautiful glimmer.
He used the fuki-urushi technique to highlight the strength of the wood and the shu-urushi technique to focus on the forms in his works.
Raden inlay is a decorative technique in which thin pieces of mother-of-pearl from such shellfish as Mexican abalone and shirochogai (a species of pearl oyster) are inlaid using lacquer as an adhesive.
His use of these techniques indicates that he had a strong belief in the natural beauty of wood and shell when decorating each work.
“Japanese nature, culture and lifestyle were closely connected to his way of making things,” Daicho said. “Kuroda was an artist who wanted people to use his works in their daily lives.”
Some of Kuroda’s works are still being used today.

This cabinet made of ancient zelkova wood in 1974 and owned by the Hokkaido Asahikawa Museum of Art has a carved motif and is a representative work from Kuroda’s later years. It was used by the Kuroda family for a long time.
In Kyoto, for example, fuki-urushi oak table sets are used at the Shinshindo Kyodai Kitamon-mae coffee shop near Kyoto University, and fuki-urushi large display shelves made of zelkova wood are used at the long-established Japanese confectionery store Kagizen Yoshifusa.
“When I walk around Kyoto, I sometimes come across pieces of furniture made by Kuroda,” said Osamu Fukunaga, director of the museum. “It is a pleasure to hold such a large exhibition in our museum featuring the great craftsman.”
The exhibition, titled “Kuroda Tatsuaki: A Journey Through Wood, Lacquer, and Mother-of-Pearl,” will run through March 2.
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