Modern Art x Aizu Lacquerware - Modern Lacquerware TO:DAY

The product line-up includes a tea tray and cutlery set in each of the three patterns.

It is compact and lightweight and has been designed in places to enhance ease of use.

The Tea Tray is a tray and art panel with a gold maki-e design in the centre and a raised frame around it. The horizontal, small, light and thin tray is just the right size to be used as a tray for one person to hold sweets, cakes or snacks together with drinks*. It fits in with both Japanese and Western atmospheres and can be used in Japanese settings such as table tea ceremonies. As well as being used as a tray for placing and storing objects, it can also be decorated as interior art, using wall pins and display items.

*This product can be used as a tray or pastry dish without any problems but as tableware, please use a paper napkin or plate for placing items directly into the mouth in order to preserve maki-e on the surface.

-Tray dimensions: 24 cm (width) x 11 cm (depth) x 1 cm (height) (inner step is approx. 3 mm).

-Weight of tray: 138 g.

-Tray design: black, gold maki-e in the centre (choice of three designs).

The cutlery stand is a square cylindrical stand with a gold maki-e design. Maki-e is applied to one of the four sides, while the other three are plain black. In addition to holding cutlery, it can also be used as a pen stand to store stationery and small items or as interior art for arranging flowers.

*When used as a vase, please place a test tube or similar inside. Do not fill directly with water.

-Stand dimensions: 4.5 cm (inner diameter 3.6~3 cm) (width) x 4.5 cm (inner diameter 3.6~3 cm) (depth) x 13 cm (height)

-Stand weight: 95 g.

-Stand design: gold maki-e on black at 1 side, plain black on 3 sides. (3 designs to choose from).

-Lacquer/materials: cashew lacquer, mokugo (synthetic processed products of wood flour and resin)

-Colour shade: black (glossy) (matte finish on reverse side)

-Made in Japan (Aizu Wakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture)

*As lacquer craftsmen in Aizu produce this product piece by piece, there may be individual differences. Please note that nuances may differ from those shown in the photographs.

Due to the nature of this crafted product made of woody material, please do not use a dishwasher. Wash gently with a neutral detergent and wipe dry before storing. Because it is a lacquered product, most stains can be removed by simply washing the surface with hot water.

The IZ JAPAN project originally started out of a sense of crisis regarding traditional Japanese industry as seen from the outside and a desire to support the industry in Fukushima.

The person in charge of the project realised the beauty of traditional Japanese crafts and the difficulty of incorporating them into modern lifestyles while working abroad, and became more determined to find something she could do to promote this culture.

The Aizu region in western Fukushima Prefecture once flourished as a major manufacturing centre for lacquerware, and Aizu lacquerware was even exported abroad by the end of the Edo period (19th century). The history of the lacquer craft of the Aizu region, Aizu-nuri, is longer than that of any other lacquerware production area in Japan, dating back to the 15th century. However, while people have barely heard of Wajima-nuri when it comes to lacquerware, Aizu-nuri is not as well-known as it used to be. IZ JAPAN wishes to promote a new way of incorporating lacquerware into the modern lifestyle and to bring more attention to traditional Japanese crafts worldwide.

IZ JAPAN project team