Kuro-tamenuri

[rhk]

Every now and then a questions comes up how Nakaya kuro-tamenuri finish ages with time. From left to right se are three Nakaya pens in kuro-tamenuri finish. From left to right: Nakaya Dorsal Fun II (summer 2022), Nakaya Tsumugi Kasuri (March 2023), and Nakaya Decapod (February 2009). All three nibs are Soft M, two two-tone nibs, and one standard Nakaya nib. The pen pillow is a three pen pillow in aka-tamenuri finish, also by Nakaya.

 

 

 

 

[Karmachanic]

Tamenuri technique has been around for milenia. In terms of aging urushi, 2009 is day before yesterday.  Lets see what they look like in 200 years.   Here's a beautifully aged 17th C Negoro-urushi tray .

 

May you enjoy your lovely pens for decades to come. and may they also age beautifully.  With use, and over time, the red undercoat will slowly become more apparent through the black tamenuri.

[Number99]

On 8/21/2023 at 12:30 AM, Karmachanic said:

Tamenuri technique has been around for milenia. In terms of aging urushi, 2009 is day before yesterday.  Lets see what they look like in 200 years.   Here's a beautifully aged 17th C Negoro-urushi tray .

 

May you enjoy your lovely pens for decades to come. and may they also age beautifully.  With use, and over time, the red undercoat will slowly become more apparent through the black tamenuri.

I need some confirmation to understand the explanation, please let me know.

Is the explanation that the Kuro-urushi becomes transparent over time? Is the explanation that the red of the substrate will become bare due to wear?

 

Negoro-nuri is red from the beginning because Kuro-Urushi is the base, isn't it? (The opposite of Nakaya Kuro-tame-nuri.) 

If both red and black become transparent, then all of them should be transparent, so is this due to "abrasion"? (The transformation of Negoro-nuri is the wear and tear of Urushi, isn't it? )

If so, is it an accumulation of time used rather than simple time?

 

By the way, Kuro-negoro is painted monochromatic, only black, right?

 

In addition, Azuchi-Momoyama was a period of warfare from 440 to 410 years ago, during which Negoro-nuri became extinct when the temples were burned down, and the technique has recently been revived.

I don't think Negoro-nuri made 200 years ago exists, what do you think?

 

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/根来塗

 

https://www.negoronuri.com/

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Number99
I had mistakenly typed Namiki for Nakaya. 😅

[Karmachanic]

@Number99

 

 

My limited understanding; Kuro = black.  Nuri = painting/application.   Red showing through black, black showing through red = wabi-sabi.  Negoro can be either of these.  Tamenuri = semi-transparent top coat, often black, over a base layer.

Nakaya Kuro (black) Tamenuri over a red base.

 

I have a custom made ebonite urushi pen with red/black wabi-sabi look Negoro underneath a Kuro Tamenuri top coat.  As the pen ages/is used, the top coat gradually and slowly reveals more of the base.

 

You may find the following links helpful
From Manu Propria  Negoro - An Essay.  Also an Urushi Glossary

 

As to 200 year old Negoro refer to the link in my post above.

[Number99]

On 8/23/2023 at 12:18 AM, Karmachanic said:

@Number99

 

 

My limited understanding; Kuro = black.  Nuri = painting/application.   Red showing through black, black showing through red = wabi-sabi.  Negoro can be either of these.  Tamenuri = semi-transparent top coat, often black, over a base layer.

Nakaya Kuro (black) Tamenuri over a red base.

 

I have a custom made ebonite urushi pen with red/black wabi-sabi look Negoro underneath a Kuro Tamenuri top coat.  As the pen ages/is used, the top coat gradually and slowly reveals more of the base.

 

You may find the following links helpful
From Manu Propria  Negoro - An Essay.  Also an Urushi Glossary

 

As to 200 year old Negoro refer to the link in my post above.

 

Thanks for the explanation and the links to the documents.

 

The Negoro nuri tray in the first link you provided is described as being from the Azuchi-Momoyama period, so I believe it is about 400 years old.

The pens shown in Manu Propria Negoro - An Essay are KO-NEGORO-URUSHI, which seems to be Manu Propria's own Negoro technique, and is a different group of artistically oriented works than this older Negoro-nuri.

https://www.manupropria-pens.ch/welcome/News/New_NEGORO_Lacquer_variety__Ko-Negoro.html

In contrast, Negoro-nuri is an extinct utilitarian lacquerware of high durability. Kuro-negoro, for example, is used in the tea ceremony because it can hold boiling water. 

 

The confusion caused by them has occurred to me but has now been corrected.

I have a rough understanding of the aging of the paint film.

 

As for the increase in luster, I believe it is due to "withering" (枯らし) as well as changes in general Urushi lacquerware.

"withering" is said to be completed it 5 (to 10 or 

20?) years after the product is shipped under the humid Japanese climate. This is an oxygen polymerization reaction in which the urushiol polymer and laccase continue their repolymerization reaction. This requires oxygen or water vapor (gaseous water), which increases gloss and hardness.

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Number99

[rudyhou]

👍 Nakaya.  Lovely collection you got there.