OTEMOTO #4 – Traditional Crafts // Kamakura-bori (Headphones ON!)

Welcome to OTEMOTO.

In Japanese, temoto means “hands.” This series brings you an up-close video of the hands of skilled Japanese artisans as they work on their craft.

Culture, tradition, people, crafts, and social movements unique to Japan…

Experience the beauty of their art as they work from their fingertips, all with immersive audio perfect for listening on headphones.

OTEMOTO. A Japanese experience unlike any other.

KAMAKURA-BORI

  Kamakura-bori is a traditional Japanese craft that began in the Kamakura era in what is now known as Kamakura prefecture. The craft has a soft and comforting lacquer aesthetic with carvings of mostly Japanese flower patterns. Artisans implement unique techniques like toukon where the artisan purposely leaves carving marks in the object, and hikuchi-nuri, a method that creates adds texture to the lacquered surface.

  The work we’re featuring today is titled Hiun, which means “flying clouds.” For this piece, the artisan focused on creating a feeling of fluid motion, like clouds in the sky.   As for the lacquer process, he uses a three-layered technique. Since lacquer tends to shrink after drying, the artisan makes sure to spread the lacquer on evenly across the surface carvings. As the carving is the main appeal ofKamakura-bori, the lacquer process requires a lot of artisanal skill. It takes about one month to finish a Kamakura-bori work.