"Iso" Maki-e

The sea is very close in Wajima.

Ever since I was a child, where I played, what I ate were with the sea

We brought up together

My passion to express the lives on the shore is immense  

The shells of crabs are drawn using capillary effect.

I sprinkle the gold with my fingers where the urushi lacquer is thick

The lacquer will be sucked into the area where the gold is not evenly placed

This oozing of urushi lacquer creates a crab-like appearance

 

A special maki-e brush is used to draw whiskers of the shrimp

In addition, a very sticky urushi lacquer is used.

To draw lines with this sticky urushi lacquer is difficult even for skilled maki-e artists.

Not to mention, it is very difficult to draw a living line

When you see a school of gobies, pay attention to their eyes 

The fish in front of them are wondering if the fish behind them are following 

That’s how I feel when I draw their eyes

Squids and puffer fishes can be quite tricky if not deformed

However, I want to keep their features right

It’s all about the scenery I’ve seen

Crab hiding tight in a rocky crevice

A fish swimming in the sea as I look into it

Tiny shrimp in a tide pool

A bait being eaten by a blowfish when I did fishing

 

Iso-makie is my daily life here in Wajima, and the origin 

It is my starting point

Instead of twisting my imagination, I draw what is most close to me

That is why I was able to create these motifs

It was when I was 30 years old, this Iso-Makie was created

I rarely make any changes 

It is because that this work and composition is something that cannot exist if  anything is added or subtracted