JUNKO YASHIRO | SMALL TRAY

A hand-carved tray, equally at home as a placemat, finished in dark urushi lacquer.

8 x 8.3 in
Wood and urushi lacquer
Made in Karuizawa, Japan

JUNKO YASHIRO

Junko Yashiro was awarded an MFA in Urushi (lacquer) Arts from the Department of Crafts at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1995 — the only national university in Japan specialising in lacquer arts. She relocated with her family to Karuizawa, Nagano, over ten years ago, where she began a home studio making limited lacquerware of her own design.

Yashiro handcrafts every piece from a log of wood through to the final decoration. She works largely in fuki-urushi, a technique in which thin coats of lacquer are applied evenly to the wood surface to highlight the natural beauty of the grain.

Each piece is handmade and will vary slightly in grain, tone and finish.

CARE — Wash quickly in warm water at about hand temperature and dry immediately with a soft cloth. Not for dishwasher, microwave or prolonged soaking.