TRADE, CRAFTS AND LEISURE
In Japan, the expression “townspeople” ( chōnin ) refers mainly to merchants but also to craftsmen. Chōnin roughly corre sponds to what in Sweden is termed the middle class. The merchants were lowest in rank and were despised by the samurai for dealing with money. Even so, many of them became influential and prosperous. The largest city, Edo ( present-day Tokyo ), was distinguished by its mixture of samurai, wealthy mercantile families, humbler trades- people, craftsmen and country folk who, between them, created a unique urban culture. Kyoto and Osaka ( the Kamigata region ), with 400,000 residents each, were also dynamic urban centres, in common with the port of Sakai. The Kamigata region and several other regions were known for their craft production and their merchandise. The Museum’s collections include traces of the activities of merchants and craftsmen. Some built their fortunes on trading in regional goods, textiles especially. The well-known trading houses of Mitsukoshi ( originally Echigoya, with origins dating back to 1673 ) and Takashimaya ( 1829 ) began as textile and kimono stores. Other prosperous merchants dealt in ceramics, fertilisers and crops like rice or were brewers of sake. Many merchants advanced money to the samurai, who could be destitute. The extensive sumptuary laws of the Edo period were intended to curb the luxurious lifestyle of the well-to-do, but were none too successful in this. There are some artefacts which it is problematic to tell whether they were used by wealthy town-dwellers or samurai.
EXAMPLES OF HANDICRAFT: THE ROLE OF LACQUER IN JAPAN
Japanese lacquer ( urushi ) comes from the lacquer tree ( Rhus verniciflua / vernicifera ), a member of the sumac family. The almost colourless sap of the tree is drawn off, filtered and stained with pigment. Lacquer forms a protective coating for the underlay of wood, metal, textile, paper or ceramic. The production process often numbers 50 or more phases, the first of which is priming. Lacquer is most often applied in several coats, and each one needs to set in a dust-free cabinet with about 80% air humidity. Polishing is another important operation. Lacquer has probably been in use since about 7 000 BCE. A lacquer department was started within the Ministry of Finance in about 586 CE to organise production. Buddhism arrived at the same time, and religiously related lacquer objects began to be produced. Genji monogatari, the most famous narrative of the Heian period ( 794–1185 ), makes mention of richly decorated lacquer objects. The use of powdered metals is recorded from this time onwards, and the “sprinkled picture” ( maki-e ) technique is considered uniquely Japan ese. During the Edo-period, taxes could be paid in raw lacquer. The important role of lacquer objects is compared with the use of porcelain in China. Lacquer was exported to Europe, partly in the form of namban lacquer ware, which very often has mother-of-pearl inlay.
Captions:
Tools and materials for the lacquer process, e.g. mother- of-pearl, various metals, pigments and brushes, cylinders for sprinkling metals and knives.
Lacquer tree (varnish tree) forest with tapping-scarred tree trunks.
Images from Mariko Nishide, Amstelveen, The Netherlands. Japanese lacquer artist and urushi restorer/conservator.
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