I'm Takahiro Taya from Tayashikkiten. Tayashikkiten is a company located in Wajima City in Ishikawa Prefecture that has been making Wajima lacquer since 1818. This year marks the 205th anniversary. My grandfather, father, and I, three generations all work together, and I'm the 10th generation from Tayashikiten. The first encounter I had with Wancher was around February,
4 or 5 years ago when Wancher made a call to our company. I was on a business trip at that time, so I couldn't pick it up. I believe my father immediately returned Mr. Okagaki's call. On the phone, he explained his aspiration
to make the Dream pen to my father. My father was fascinated by Mr. Okagaki's idea,
he told him "I'd certainly love to". And this is how the relationship started. With this collaboration, I believe that this tradition will be passed on as more and more people become aware of Wajima-nuri and as more and more people use it in the future. Our combined mission is to make people aware of the fact that Japanese people do not use traditional crafts as much as they used to. if this trend continues, there will probably be people
who do not know about Wajima-nuri and do not use it. As a consequence, Wajima-nuri will not be handed down. I believe that traditional crafts have continued
because many people use and buy our products, which enables the craftsmen to make a good living,
and of course we can make a good living as well. Unlike traditional products, we have been able to
apply the Wajima-nuri technique to watch dials and fountain pens, I think that our mission is the same: to reach a different
audience so that many people will use traditional art products. I think the most challenging aspect of the urushi technique is
applying on a plain surface, simple, without any pattern. For example, if a mistake is made or if the application
is not done neatly, the imperfections will be very evident. Since it is applied by hand, it involves a manual process and the natural conditions (humidity, temperature) play an important role,
and these factors makes it very difficult to apply urushi on products. As such, there isn't a shortcut, other than carrying
through a long and slow process carefully. Lacquer with a bright color is the most difficult to apply,
for example, when painting a bright-colored lacquer, we mix lacquer and pigment to achieve the color, but even if the same mixture is used, the color will not be the same
everytime depending on humidity, light exposure, and temperature. Another example, even if we were able to deliver you
a bright color in the first batch, the new lacquer may be slightly darker. Unless the color contrast is too great, we will have to repaint it Strictly speaking, each piece is not the same, However, we are careful not to make individual differences Therefore, there are many things that cannot be done with
the skill, experience, and intuition of the craftsman. So I think that's the hardest part. People often ask me, "What is Urushi?"
Lacquer is a paint, but it is a paint derived from nature. So it is both nature-friendly and human-friendly. As time goes by, Urushi becomes hardened
by absorbing moisture in the air. Urushi, for example, will not dry at all
when applied in a parched environment such as a desert. but it dries quickly when applied in a humid place like the Amazon area. That is how important moisture is for Urushi.
We use the expression that Urushi dries, but it's not actually dry. It hardens and becomes stronger in response to moisture. Therefore, although the Urushi fountain pen has just finished, it will take about 50 years to absorb moisture in the air
and become stronger. Since your hands are also moist, the lacquer absorbs the moisture
and makes the fountain pen comfortable to hold. This is the charm of lacquer as a painting. Other charms of lacquer include its antibacterial properties
and its deep glow, which is different from that of chemical dyes. Therefore, I hope that many people will enjoy the beauty
and feel of Urushi through these fountain pens. I don't think there is much difference between Japanese lacquer
and lacquer from other countries. For example, even if lacquer trees grow in the same area there are individual differences depending on
where the trees are exposed to sunlight and humidity. I believe that the most important thing when handling
the raw material of lacquer is how it is made ready to be applied. Lacquer can be extracted from the lacquer tree,
but it is not possible to use the collected lacquer as it is. It requires to do such work as removing dust and water,
which is called refining. Also, it is very critical to blend lacquer
that is easily dry and hard to dry according to the season. Japanese lacquer manufacturers sell Urushi, but what makes them so special is their skill in handling Urushi. From the way they prepare the Urushi lacquer according to
the time of the application, to adjusting the item they want to apply the Urushi onto,
I think this is what makes Japanese makers so great. What makes Wajima-nuri different from other lacquerware is that we put a lot of effort into the base of the lacquer,
which is invisible to the eye. Since the base is solid, it becomes stronger
and more beautiful as we apply layers of lacquer on top of it. Wajima-nuri is made entirely with Tennen Urushi
(天然漆 natural lacquer), from the base coat to the top coat. I think this is one of the good points of Wajima-nuri There is a tendency nowadays for people to prefer simple vessels, but the great thing about Wajima-nuri is that
it can be decorated in a very gorgeous way using techniques such as maki-e, chinkin, and roiro (color),
which I think is an interesting aspect of Wajima technique. This pen is also filled with various Wajima-nuri techniques, and I think
there are techniques that are not easily found in other production areas. I think that's what makes us confident
when telling about Wajima coating to everyone.
