Japanese lacquer or urushi is the purified sap of the Asian lacquer tree, which has been used for thousands of years in Japan to coat objects from crockery to furniture and buildings. When dry, lacquer is both heat and water resistant, providing protection and strength to underlying materials, very often wood, but also bamboo, paper and leather. Lacquerware itself can be referred to as urushi as well as shikki (literally “urushi vessel”). Pure urushi is transparent, while the black and red lacquers most associated with shikki are achieved with the addition of mineral pigments.
Wooden Bowl
Kyogata Red
Urushi
SKU
4746
Yoshi En has recently grown out of Sunday Natural to become an independent premium tea store. As part of this transition, some products may still be shipped in Sunday Natural packaging.
A classic Kyo-gata shaped Japanese soup bowl in red, made of hard-wearing jujube wood, lacquered using the traditional fuki urushi method: where lacquer is repeatedly applied and wiped off to highlight the beauty of the natural wood grain.
| Product | Lacquered soup bowl |
| Dimensions | Ø10cm x 6.8cm |
| Weight | 102g |
| Material | Jujube wood |
| Coating | Natural urushi lacquer |
In stock
OWAN お碗
Owan simply means “bowl” in Japanese, and refers to the small bowls typically used to serve miso soup and rice, which may come with a matching lid to help retain heat. Soup bowls, also known as shiru-wan, are often made of lacquered wood, while rice bowls or meshi-wan can also be made of porcelain – however these charming bowls are perfect for presenting any small items of food.
