In Wajima, Japan, where hundreds of homes and studios were destroyed, master-class artisans are struggling to keep lacquer ...

The ancient craft of urushi, or Japanese lacquerware, is one of Asia’s oldest artistic traditions. Evidence for the use of lacquer – a tree sap used to coat and decorate objects like boxes, bowls and ...

When organic chemist Takayuki Honda visited Okinawa Island in southern Japan a few years ago, he purchased a small dish coated with the glossy vermilion lacquer that’s characteristic of the region.

Lacquer is usually for precious, pricey stuff. Think handcrafted bowls and serving trays, religious artefacts in museum collections, and the facades of old shrines, temples and other architectural ...

The traditions of Japanese lacquerware are said to stretch back millennia, and it’s widely recognized as one of the country’s representative art forms. By comparison, the Pokémon franchise has a much ...