Yakumo-nuri Lacquerware Address Book Notebook Craftwork Size: Approximately 18 x 13 cm In the early Meiji era, Heichi Sakata, a lacquer artist from Matsue, was inspired by Chinese lacquerware and created this technique, naming it Yakumo-nuri after the ancient Izumo poem "Yakumo Tatsu" (Clouds Rising). After drawing patterns on the base with various colored lacquer, mother-of-pearl, gold, and silver powder, a layer of high-quality natural transparent lacquer is applied on top. The piece is then polished using traditional techniques to finish. The greatest characteristic of Yakumo-nuri, which is not found in other production areas, is that the transparency of the lacquer increases over time, causing the painted patterns to appear more vividly.