In collaboration with the Japanese crafts centre Echizen, Nihon no hanga proudly presents a special display of contemporary lacquerware, Echizen: A New Era of Lacquerware Design, from Friday 9 until Monday December 12th, 12.00 – 17.00 hrs.

Japanese lacquer (urushi) is one of Japan’s oldest crafts. Excavations have revealed lacquered items that are more than 9000 years old. Despite this incredibly long history, little has changed in the way natural lacquerware is produced. Urushi is still 100% handmade, using a natural resin that is tapped from lacquer trees from sustainable plantations. In the battle against plastics, this ancient tradition may actually mark the beginning of a new future for lacquer in the modern world.