OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné) is said to have originated in the late Edo period when Tsunekichi Kaji of Owari, the area centered around present-day Nagoya City, created it, and he established the techniques and methods.
The oldest known example of OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné) is a cloisonné sake cup made by Kaji Tsunekichi in 1833 (Tenpo 4).

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. The base material molding shall be carried out by one of the following methods:
  (1) In metalworking, the base metal is placed on an anvil and shaped using a wooden or metal hammer.
  (2) In "spinning," the metal is placed against a wooden or metal mold and rotated while a spinning tool is used to shape it.

  2. When joining materials, the method used shall be "brazing".

  3. Glazing shall be done in one of the following ways:
  (1) When performing "line inlay," apply glaze to the inside and outside of the sectioned area using a brush or a sieve.
  (2) If "line inlay" is not performed, apply the glaze by drawing or brushing along the underpainting.

  4. For the finishing touches, polish with a whetstone or charcoal.

   

  raw materials

  1. The base material to be used shall be copper plate or silver plate.

  2. The materials used for "wire planting" shall be silver wire, brass wire, or copper wire.

  3. The glaze shall be made of silica, red lead, or saltpeter, or a material of equivalent quality.

• Work scene

  Work scene

  Step 1: Preparing the base material

  The original shape was created by hammering copper sheets with a hammer or mallet, or by using a machine to form the shape. Nowadays, most of the process is done by machine forming using lathes and presses.

  

  Step 2: Underpainting

  The design is drawn in ink onto the base material. Recently, a cutting method using plastic molds with engraved designs has been developed to improve work efficiency.

  

  Step 3: Marking the lines

  Metal wires (mainly silver wires) are placed over the design drawn in ink to outline the design. The silver wires serve as boundaries between different glazes.

  

  Step 4: Applying the glaze

  Various glazes are used according to the color scheme of the underpainting. The glazes are made from silica, lead oxide, and saltpeter, with small amounts of coloring agents such as cobalt, manganese, copper, and silver added, but each pottery studio uses its own unique blend to produce distinctive colors.

  

  工程5： 焼成

  Once glazing is complete, the pieces are fired in a kiln. Previously, charcoal kilns were used, but now all kilns are electric. During firing, the powdered glaze melts, creating a step between it and the metal wire, so the firing process is repeated until the wire and glaze are at the same height.

  

  Step 6: Polishing

  After firing, the finished product will have unevenness between the lines and the glazed areas. To smooth this out, give it a shine, and make the inlaid lines stand out, it is polished. This is done using whetstones, straw, charcoal, etc.

  

  Step 7: Adding a rim

  During the polishing process, the top and bottom edges of the unfinished piece are exposed, so silver bezels supplied by plating companies or decorative parts suppliers are attached to complete the piece.

  
• Close-up

  Close-up

  The dazzling and noble brilliance emanating from the "Seven Treasures": Owari OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné) (Owari Seven Treasures)

  Originating in ancient Egypt, cloisonné enamelware is said to derive its name from the seven treasures (gold, silver, lapis lazuli, clam shell, agate, pearl, and oyster shell) mentioned in Buddhist scriptures, which are used to describe its beauty. The glassy glaze gives the dazzling colors a translucent shine.

   

  The skills and traditions that thrive in renowned establishments

  I visited Ando Cloisonné, a long-established shop in Nagoya. The shop offers a delightful array of sophisticated and fashionable accessories and decorative items. Further inside, the atmosphere changes slightly, with traditional items radiating vibrant colors and brilliance, exuding an air of nobility. The designs, centered on flowers and birds, and the bright colors evoke a broader sense of Oriental history rather than a purely Japanese one. I also took a peek into the factory to observe the actual production process.

  Ando Cloisonné, a long-established shop in Nagoya.

  A single silver wire can make all the difference in the final result.

  OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné) can be divided into several types based on differences in production methods. The representative "wired cloisonné" is made by applying silver wires along the outlines of a design drawn on a metal base. Different colored glazes are separated by the silver wires, so the colors do not mix and remain vivid. In the factory, where the work is carried out under a division of labor system, the main person in charge of applying the wires is Mori Mikio. He graduated from a ceramics school and has been involved in cloisonné making at this shop since he was 20 years old. "When I first saw it, I thought it was a beautiful piece of pottery." At first glance, cloisonné looks like ceramics, but the process of firing a vitreous glaze onto a metal base is closer to the image of enamel. In fact, enamel is said to be the practical application of cloisonné. Mori says that the brilliance of cloisonné was an appeal that pottery does not have. Different widths and thicknesses of silver wires are used depending on the design. Imagining the finished product, he uses several types of silver wire for a single vase. The adhesive is made from the supernatant liquid obtained by drying and powdering the roots of the Bletilla striata orchid and dissolving it in water. Using chemical adhesives would generate gas during firing, but since orchids are plants, they burn completely and are harmless. This is another example of the advantages of using natural materials.

  Cloisonné enamel, a technique where a portion of the clay body is hollowed out and then glazed.

  A commitment to things of value

  Mr. Mori also dedicates himself to creating works with the goal of holding two exhibitions a year. While his workplace is based on a division of labor system, he handles almost every step of the process for his own works, from preparing the base material onwards, by himself. He often struggles with the parts he doesn't usually work on. He completes two or three pieces a year. Even with more than 30 years of experience, he says that when he tries to do something new, "there's still so much I don't know." Looking back on his work so far, which has continued to produce traditional cloisonné, he says that he finds joy in "making high-quality, well-made things." "One of the most memorable projects was the creation of the four pillars for a festival float using cloisonné. Together with my colleagues, we went through a lot of trial and error, and it took us three years from 1995 to complete it." The round pillars, adorned with intricate patterns using opaque glaze, have a unique and deeply flavorful color scheme, truly a "masterpiece woven by skill."

  The four pillars of the float, which took three years to complete.

  57 years of being captivated by cloisonné—a new hobby after retirement.

  Sakurai Tsuruya, a veteran craftsman who worked alongside Mori on these four pillars, retired in March 2001 at the age of 77. He had been working there for 57 years, starting at the age of 20 in the year the war ended. For about 40 years, he had also been involved in the production of items bearing the chrysanthemum crest that Ando Cloisonné supplied to the Imperial Family. Although the crest is only about 2 centimeters in size, the inking and glazing are considered the most difficult parts of the job. It seems that he can't completely retire because there are hardly any skilled craftsmen to take over his work. "It's interesting how it comes out exactly as I imagined," says Sakurai. "The cloisonné glaze has fine bubbles, so it's easy for tiny holes to form during polishing. That's why you have to apply it low and low repeatedly to build up the height." The warmth conveyed by the thickness created by layering the glaze is one of the charms of cloisonné. His eyes behind his glasses are gentle. Even after retirement, he seems to be in high demand as a judge for exhibitions and other events, but in between, he will likely continue to work diligently on creating new works.

  Craftsman Profile

  ​Mikio Mori

  Born in 1945. "Cloisonné is a profound art form. I still have so much more to learn." He also dedicates himself to creating his own works. Born in 1924. In the spring of 2001, he retired from Ando Cloisonné after 57 years of service. He will continue to be involved with cloisonné in the future. Anecdote A major boom as souvenirs for the occupying forces returning home Cloisonné, which had flourished as an export industry, became difficult to produce during the war because its main materials, copper, lead oxide, cobalt, and manganese, were used as military supplies. However, after the end of the war in 1945, the situation changed completely, and it became popular as a souvenir for the occupying forces returning home. It is said that producers in Shichihō-machi were extremely busy for several years. While most Japanese souvenirs are made of wood, bamboo, or paper, cloisonné, with its metal base, is durable and won't break even if dropped, making it ideal for long journeys. It is said that on Saturdays and Sundays, several jeeps would arrive in a line to buy cloisonné. Some of the pieces have been brought back from overseas. One particularly eye-catching item in the exhibition room of the Shippo Town Industrial Museum is the "Large Vase with Floral and Bird Motifs," which stands 1.52 meters tall. Dating back to the Meiji 30s (1897-1896), when exports were at their peak, it is one of the largest cloisonné pieces ever made.

  

  The exquisite craftsmanship preserved in the "City of Cloisonné"

  The origins of OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné) lie in a single plate brought by a Dutch ship. Tsunekichi Kaji, a samurai of the Owari domain, broke and analyzed it to understand its structure and developed a technique called "mud cloisonné." Subsequently, research into glassy glazes led to the creation of the exquisite and magnificent cloisonné ware that continues to this day.

   

  The popularity of cloisonné as art for overseas markets

  Originally developed as an export industry, OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné) was exhibited at the Paris World's Fair and the Japan-British Exhibition during the Meiji era, becoming widely known abroad. For these major events, not only were finished products brought along, but several craftsmen were also dispatched to the site to work on production for about six months and demonstrate their skills. The technique for the representative wired cloisonné was largely perfected from the late Meiji to the early Taisho period, and other types of cloisonné enamelware were also largely established around this time. This exquisite technique has been passed down to the present day. This area, where cloisonné enamelware flourished, was named Shippo Village (now Shippo Town) in 1906 (Meiji 39).

  Cloisonné enamel production involves repeated glazing and firing, requiring concentration and patience.

  A workshop where history is etched

  We visited veteran craftsman Sadakazu Hayashi. The fourth-generation Hayashi was born in 1919. His kiln is the oldest in town, and its wooden building evokes a sense of history intertwined with OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné). Although electric kilns are currently used for firing, looking up at the ceiling of the kiln, where clay was used to prevent fires when charcoal kilns were in use, traces of peeling clay and black soot remain as remnants of that time. Hayashi, who had been helping with cloisonné production by imitation since childhood, began his life as a full-fledged craftsman after the end of World War II in 1945.

  A variety of glaze colors are available.

  Make the necessary tools yourself.

  Cloisonné enamel is often made through a division of labor, and in the case of Mr. Hayashi, the kiln owner, his main tasks are glazing and firing. With wired cloisonné, the pieces arrive at Mr. Hayashi's workshop with the silver wire already attached. Skilled craftsmen make almost all of their tools by hand. When applying glaze to intricate designs, it's more like "piercing" than "painting." He uses needles instead of brushes. He has devised his own tools by removing the bristles from the brush tip and inserting a needle in its place, and he uses both cotton and silk needles depending on the situation. Even his slightly long fingernails become part of his tools. "You have to make mistakes." Skills must be learned by feel. Making big mistakes helps you be more careful next time. He patiently learns the tricks of the trade. However, sometimes problems arise due to unexpected causes unrelated to his own skills. After the glazing process was outsourced, he had a problem where the processing of just one glaze used for the undercoat was poor, resulting in many small holes during the polishing stage. "You only realize it's a defective product when it's 95 percent finished." This resulted in significant losses. For a craftsman, the greatest joy comes from completing a product and thinking, "This turned out really well."

  For applying glaze to intricate designs, a needle is used instead of a brush.

  First, let people know. Tradition and evolution.

  "Cloisonné enamel doesn't break even if you drop it. Its color never changes and it shines forever." Ms. Hayashi says she wants many people to know about the charm of cloisonné enamel. Cloisonné enamel is popular as an easy-to-make accessory, with classes offered at cultural centers, but it is important to convey the excellence of traditional OWARI Shippo (Cloisonné), saying, "This is the real thing." Mr. Yoshikichi Hattori, who currently serves as the chairman of the association, emphasizes the need to pass on culture in educational settings, saying, "For example, in a school in a pottery-producing area, it wouldn't do to use plastic containers for school lunches, would it?" An exhibition is held in the town every year, and looking at the recent exhibits, it seems that there has been an increase in bold and new designs and patterns. As lifestyles change and the alcoves where vases are placed disappear, a shift to other forms will be necessary. While adding modern arrangements, it is important that the exquisite techniques that have been passed down are preserved forever.

  This is a work that won an award at an exhibition. It's definitely contemporary.

  Craftsman Profile

  ​Hayashi Sadakazu

  Born in 1919. He and his son run a long-established pottery kiln.