With his mastery of the wood-carving technique, Genta HAYASHI 林源太 has created well-shaped small pieces of wood. These pieces of wood have been further glued together and shaped into the present pentagon shape. To enhance the wood, the artist had further added linen and Indian silk to strengthen the wood before applying black and vermillion pigment colour lacquer.
The final motif of the lacquer box is the beautifully shaped plum blossom. Plum flowering celebrates Spring. The design of the plum blossom is to create a sense of calmness, and when it is used, it will make the diners feel enjoyable.
As a Japanese functional ware named Jūbako (重箱, literally mean tiered boxes) inside the box have the removable Y and T shaped dividers which can be dissembled, making it a revolutionary design that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. The box and its compact storage can store and serve various kinds of food warm or cold, such as candies, canapes and sushi.
Plum - Lacquer Two-tiered Box by Genta HAYASHI
The oldest lacquerware discovered dates back to the Warring States period (403-221 B.C.). the craft has been transferred to Japan, Korea, and other parts of Southeast Asia. The value of a piece of lacquerware only begins with the materials used to make it. A high quality piece of lacquerware requires the skills of several different elements: lacquer, layers, core materials, decoration, colours, design and process.
