Fuki-urushi

Technique of lacquering wood which preserves and highlights natural grain of wood. A coating of lacquer is applied to a piece of wood using a brush and allowed to soak in. Then urushi is wiped thoroughly with a cloth and cured. The surface is then carefully polished with sandpaper. This procedure is then repeated 5 or 6 more times. Different types of urushi can be used for different results, even pigmented urushi, especially for first layer – pigment gets into all cavities and is visible after sanding, highlighting the grain in a creative way. To achieve high water resistance suki-sugurome MR (roll-mill) urushi can be used. Typically high water content raw urushi is used for fuki-urushi.