Junichi Hakose is one of the most active and famous urushi lacquer work artist in the fine jewelry industry. He has done many works with Van Cleef & Arpels from 2004 and continuing since, and with Chanel in 2015. His urushi lacquer works has been expressed in the jewelry lines or the watches for those jewelers for many years. We as a fan of Master Hakose, we are happy that his superb works are welcomed and admired by the people all over the world.
One example of his works with Van Cleef & Arpels could be seen in the collections of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. You will be able to see the detailed works of Master Hakose’s maki-e works that are fine like a jewelry!
(No, sorry it’s a jewelry here.)
We had been honored to do business with this extraordinary artist; extremely humble and down to earth person, for several years since our start. So we had been lucky enough that we had many chances to visit his Studio / Work shop called Hakose Koubou in Wajima, the place where he was born and raised.
He uses his kura (storage house) from his family, to create his works. Since this kura (蔵) is one of the most suited place to do the urushi coating in Japan. Kura’s original purpose is to preserve and protect important fine items of your family. It is made with stones and stucco to withstand the natural condition and fire. Therefore the inside has relatively stable temperature and humidity condition in all seasons also shutting the dust out. Wisdom from the history!
We hope that you would have some feeling of his background of creations though a glimpse of his history and the tradition with the nature of Wajima.
Where the true beauties are created.
