Nuri guri is the technique of laying down and alternating dozens of layers of red and black lacquer and then carving through the layers in intricate geometric or curved patterns borrowed from the Chinese. The deep cuts are made at an angle so that the various layers of colored lacquer are revealed. It is a time consuming and painstaking process.

Incense (“ko”) was introduced into Japan along with Buddhism around the sixth century, and it has remained a part of religious ceremonies ever since. Incense also played an important role in the tea ceremony. After cleaning the rooms before the guests arrive, incense was used to purify the space spiritually and help separate it from secular space. The incense was kept in small containers and conveyed with chopsticks into the fire in the brazier. The uncluttered beauty of nuri guri incense containers was favored by the Japanese for use with the tea ceremony ritual.

During a Shinto style wedding, the marriage is consecrated in the ritual of “san-san kudo,” where the bride and groom each drink from three sake cups three times. The families of the bride and groom would bring sake to the wedding ceremony in a matched pair of large black lacquered boxes like these. This style of lacquered wooden sake container, which is rectangular in shape with inset ends, is called a sleeve cask because its shape is reminiscent of a Japanese kimono sleeve. Although sodedaru were originally made for ceremonial use by the higher classes, by the middle of the 19th century these rugged lacquer utensils were made for use by everyone.

Kamakura-bori is a type of Japanese lacquer ware which consists of carved wood decorated with layers of black and red lacquer which are often rubbed down and polished to achieve a mottled effect so the red lacquer shows through in certain places on the carving. It is said to have originated during the Kamakura period and was based on Chinese models. Of the various types of provincial lacquer wares, kamakura-bori is one of the most outstanding. From the beginning of the Meiji period, it was produced in great quantities, not only just in Kamakura proper. Its uncluttered beauty was much favored for eating and writing utensils as well as implements used in the tea ceremony. Because of the Japanese preference for “sabi” and “shibui,” the very simplicity and unaffectedness of kamakura-bori lacquer work makes it a special favorite among connoisseurs.

During a Shinto style wedding, the marriage is consecrated in the ritual of “san-san kudo,” where the bride and groom each drink from three sake cups three times. The families of the bride and groom would bring large containers of sake to the wedding ceremony in these black lacquered boxes. This style of lacquered wooded sake container, which is rectangular in shape with inset ends is called a sleeve cask because its shape is reminiscent of a Japanese kimono sleeve. Although sodedaru were originally made for ceremonial use by the higher classes, by the middle of the 19th century these rugged lacquer utensils were made for use by everyone.