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.

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 ...

APPRAISER: The factory that this was bought in was in Japan, and it was a factory that actually manufactured lacquer, lacquer wares. But what they also did is, they sold antique lacquer objects.

Urushi is traditional Japanese lacquer refined from the sap of Toxicodendron vernicifluum, known as the Japanese lacquer tree. Hardened urushi has strong adhesive properties and is also excellent ...

In Wajima, the heart of Japan's lacquerware tradition, Paul Carter meets a community determined to preserve their craft. From the intricate layering glossy lacquer to precision decoration ...