Ryukyuan lacquerware

[1] According to "Ryūkyūkoku yuraiki (琉球国由来記)", or the Official Chorography of Ryūkyū published in 1713, it was during the 17th century that Kaizuribugyōsho focused on introducing technology from China and Satsuma.

For roughly five hundred years, from 1372 until the mid-19th century, a small number of Ryukyuans resided in Fuzhou and Beijing at any given time, studying academic classics and various arts as well.

Thus, the state monopoly on foreign trade similarly came to an end, and regular Japanese citizens were given the opportunity to purchase Ryukyuan lacquers for the first time.

Following World War II and the extensive destruction incurred in the islands during the battle of Okinawa, a number of surveys have been undertaken to learn more about Ryukyuan lacquer (and a great many other cultural and historical subjects), and to discover and collect objects displaced during and following that struggle.

Mother-of-pearl inlay is similarly not originally a Ryukyuan element, but it came to be used to depict papaya, plantain, palm trees, tomoe, and other motifs of the sub-tropical islands.

Other designs, such as images of hibiscus and coral, were introduced in the latter half of the 20th century as part of the artificial cultural production of tourism goods.

However, Ryukyu does enjoy a number of native woods growing on its islands, including that of the deigo coral tree (Erythrina variegata).

Deigo wood does not grow in mainland Japan, and is light and extremely porous with a very fine grain; given its high porosity it is particularly suitable for producing objects free from distortion or warping due to changeable climatic conditions and humidity levels, such as are common in the Ryukyu Islands.