Lacquered wooden matcha bowl / "Také" in Yamanaka lacquer makié

Matcha bowl in black lacquered wood with makié bamboo pattern made by Kashô Yoshita (1940-), lacquer craftsman in Yamanaka, in Ishikawa prefecture.

Bamboo, an essential plant in the lives of the Japanese, is a very auspicious symbol. The fact that it grows straight towards the heavens, with rapid and vigorous growth, represents nobility and strength. When bamboo is cut, it splits straight and the inside being hollow, indicating an honest nature that has nothing to hide. This plant is also a symbol of purity, eternity and immortality, as it is always green during the cold winter, even under the snow.
Makié is a technique which consists of lacquer painting a design, pattern or character on the surface of a lacquered object, then "sprinkling (maku)" it with gold, silver or another powder. metal before it dries to fix it. This is one of the decorative techniques representative of Japanese lacquer, particularly developed and used in Japan.