Lacquer\nis sap drawn from the lacquer tree, and it has been valued since ancient times\nfor its properties as both a natural adhesive and paint. Maki-e is a\nlacquerware decorative method unique to Japan. The maki-e technique of drawing\na design in lacquer and sprinkling powdered gold and silver or colored powders\nover it to affix them was established in the Heian period, while production of\nmetal powders advanced and became increasingly complex during the Kamakura\nperiod. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nhistory of Japan\u2019s exports of lacquerware goods is a long one, with exports to\nChina from the 14th century, and from the 15th century, Jesuit missionaries\nsending maki-e religious implements home, which led to their being positively\nappraised in Europe. Later, the French\nqueen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) was charmed by a small, quite lovely maki-e\nbox and went on to collect them, which in turn led to a general appreciation\nfor such items by European nobility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Domestically,\nmaki-e artisans in the employ of the Bakufu feudal government from the\nMuromachi period forward executed gorgeous maki-e designs for the imperial\nfamily and nobles, and in the Edo period merchants employed their economic\nmight to commission various kinds of maki-e designs. By the time of the coming\nend of the feudal period, maki-e technology had reached a highly sophisticated\nlevel, but the dissolution of the feudal system brought a radical change to the\nlives of those who had supplied the bulk of the maki-e orders, and accordingly\nresulted in a sharp decrease in demand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maki-e\nartisans found their way forward in the field of exports to the West positively\npromoted by the new government\u2019s promotion of native industry policies. Maki-e\nhad long before made its way to Europe, and entries at international\nexpositions had immediately met with high praise. And in 1890 (Meiji 23) the\nImperial Household Artist award system was established to encourage the\npreservation and continued production of native artistic crafts, and various\nmaki-e artisans included in their number as well as others who gained\nrecognition through domestic expositions and other competitions produced\nnumerous superior articles for the Imperial Household. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nKiyomizu Sannenzaka Museum has long collected articles produced for the\nImperial Household both as gifts and for export, focusing especially on those\nproduced from the end of the Edo period through that of Taisho. From among\nthose, approximately fifty particularly distinguished items have been chosen\nfor display at this time. We hope you enjoy this dazzling display whose\nbrightness reaches out to us across a broad swath of time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":609,"template":"","class_list":["post-608","special_exhibition","type-special_exhibition","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","en-US"],"acf":{"spex_mv":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u8494\u7d75\u306e\u540d\u54c1_\u30dd\u30b9\u30bf\u30fcweb.jpg","spex_date_start":"2021.5.15","spex_date_end":"2021.8.1","spex_date_start_cal":"2021-05-10","spex_date_end_cal":"2021-08-01","spex_contents":[{"spex_contents_img":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u52ff\u6765\u95a2\u8494\u7d75\u786f\u7bb1_web.jpg","spex_contents_thumb":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/nakoso_websub.jpg","spex_contents_txt":"Inkstone box with design of the Nakoso barrier, Sirayama Shosai and Moriya Shotei \/ Cover designed by Kikkawa Reika"},{"spex_contents_img":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u4e8c\u7fbd\u8776\u8494\u7d75\u83d3\u5b50\u5668_web.jpg","spex_contents_thumb":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u4e8c\u7fbd\u8776\u8494\u7d75\u83d3\u5b50\u5668_\u90e8\u5206hp.jpg","spex_contents_txt":"Confectionery container with two butterflies, Sawada Sotakusai "},{"spex_contents_img":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u540d\u53d6\u5ddd\u8494\u7d75\u786f\u7bb1_web.jpg","spex_contents_thumb":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u540d\u53d6\u5ddd\u8494\u7d75\u6599\u7d19\u786f\u7bb1_\u90e8\u5206hp.jpg","spex_contents_txt":"Document box and inkstone box with design of Natori river, Kimura Hyosai II"}],"spex_pdf":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/\u8494\u7d75\u306e\u540d\u54c1\u914d\u5e03\u7528\u30ea\u30b9\u30c8_0627\u4fee\u6b63\u7248.pdf"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/special_exhibition\/608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/special_exhibition"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/special_exhibition"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sannenzaka-museum.co.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}