「Lr」 is a product line born from the skills of kijishi woodworkers in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, the home of lacquerware.
Echizen lacquerware has a 1500-year history in this region. It is precisely because of this that 「Lr」 is able to produce items with a sheen rarely found in lacquerware. These pieces are handmade by exceptional craftspeople, who give meticulous attention to detail. The range includes everyday items with functional designs, available in two finishes: fuki-urushi ‘wiped’ lacquer or spray-painted synthetic lacquer.
Beautiful to look at and pleasing to touch; enriching the landscape of your daily life.
Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, is a major producer of lacquerware, along with eyeglasses and textiles. The lacquerware of this region is known as Echizen and its origins are thought to date back to the Yamato and Asuka periods, some 1,500 years ago.
Legend has it that when Japan's 26th Emperor Keitai was still the Imperial Prince, he ordered a group of lacquer craftspeople from Katayama-cho, Sabae, (present-day Fukui Prefecture) to repair his crown. When the craftspeople returned the repaired crown, they also presented the Imperial Prince with a black lacquered bowl. The Prince highly praised their workmanship and invited them to form a community for lacquerware production in Katayama. This is believed to be the beginning of today's Echizen lacquerware.
Towards the end of the Edo period, artist specializing in maki-e (precious metal powder decoration) were invited from Kyoto, and chinkin techniques (gold inlay decoration) were introduced from Wajima, enriching Echizen lacquerware, which became known not only for its robustness but also its ornate decorative beauty.
By the middle of the Meiji period, in addition to maru-mono roundware, including bowls, Echizench craftspeople began to produce kaku-mono squareware, such as tray tables. Today the range of products has diversified further to include stacking boxes, small boxes (tebako), trays, confectionery boxes and vases. The region is a well established major lacquerware production area to this day.
Born in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, Mr. Inoue is the second generation of kijishi woodworkers at Inoue Tokumokko.
The company produces a wide range of wooden items, inheriting the traditional shapes and techniques of sashi-mono (joinery without nails), including kaku-mono (square-ware) such as small boxes and trays, while at the same time incorporating the wood bending techniques of mage-wappa.
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