#laquerware

[yebreed]

Luxury Lacquered Coffin of Marquis Yi: Largest in History

The coffin of the Warring States period was unearthed from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (曾侯乙) in Leigudun (擂鼓墩), Suizhou, Hubei, in 1978.

The outer coffin is 3.2 meters long, 2.1 meters wide, 2.2 meters high, and weighs about 7 tons. It is composed of 10 copper columns embedded within 10 wooden boards of the same height. The painting on the surface of one of the coffins depicts weird and armed anthro-zoomorphic beings.

Displayed in Hubei Provincial Museum (湖北省博物馆).

Photo: ©喵星人的小姐

[auntiebionic]

[aahsoka]

very proud of this

[overlordrae]

Ffff the Aka Ainu Consuln has a new kickstarter for more Ainu tableware and this time it has laquerware. They are absolutely gorgeous.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/akan-ainu-consuln/ainu-tableware

[mixed-kester]

the one thing i can’t handle

A/N: what if abyssal curse but aromanticism? aughehehehe (i’m aromantic.) it actually feels like a curse sometimes.

Summary: This world interpreted being aromantic as a curse from the Abyss. Coming out has never been this...hectic.

“I’m heartless.”

They heard something break. 

They wouldn’t know what, since their boots suddenly started to look very, very interesting.

Making a mental note to visit the Inazuman laquerware shop, Esther took a deep breath and continued.

“…at least, i think ‘heartless’ is the right descriptor for what I am feeling.” They added.

“Whatever do you mean by that, dear Esther?” Kaeya’s playful voice said. He looks quite confused, wine in hand forgotten.

Glancing up, they see that every member of the dinner table is looking at them with vested interest. Xingqiu’s book is closed, Xiangling’s food halfway through her mouth, and Beidou’s ‘Captain’ vibes permeating through the table.

“Well…um, its quite…complicated. But the quick version of it is…” They wringed their hands in anxiety as they looked at each of the members of the table, aware of their intensely curious stares.

…well, make that five. Wanderer’s attention is apparently somewhere else.

“…I'm cursed.”

Their voice, barely a whisper, breaks; they quickly cover it up with a cough and a hasty laugh.

“Well, that’s enough feelings for today, i’m just gonna-“

They turn around and bump into a soft purple wall. 

...soft? They poked the padding on the wall-

OH.

OH FUCK.

“R-Raiden?!” They stuttered and inwardly cursed.

The atmosphere went from curious to tense.

A slight breeze was felt. 

“Electro Archon, how kind of you to join us.” Keqing spoke up first, diplomatically.

“No salutations needed. My exalted status is not to be disclosed.” The cold, unfeeling voice of the Raiden Shogun pierces through the dinner room.

The Raiden Shogun sits herself on...the now empty chair of Kocho. 

“Continue on with your conversation.” The Shogun adds, sweeping a broken teacup aside to place her hands on the table, glancing at Esther. “Do not mind me.”

“Um…alright.” I pointedly glance at Kaeya, who shrugs.

“So, it turns out the one thing I can’t handle is love.” Esther now said matter-of-factly. 

“This...curse, I wager, is a side effect of the Abyss. You guys aren’t affected,“ They added quickly when seeing their faces pale. “I made sure the Benedictions are foolproof. As for me, however...“ They chuckle bitterly.

“Well, it can’t be helped, and I can’t just leave you in that wretched place without last-minute guidance. So, I went in, and I got cursed by an Abyss Herald.”

“When did you notice the effects?” Xingqiu spoke up. “As far as I have read, Abyssal curses are silent, or so the stories say.”

“I don’t remember.” They shrugged.

Liar.

“An Abyssal curse is very dangerous.“ said the Shogun. “Have you consulted the Dendro Archon?“

Esther shook their head. “Not yet, but I plan to, once the request for an audience was granted. The paperwork was horrendous.”

“That will not be necessary. I shall arrange for her-“

“Hey, now, you can’t do that!“ They protested, standing up. “Don’t use your position as an Archon for something as trivial as-“

Sounds of incredulity and protests fill the room as they say that.

“It is no trivial matter, Esther. You of all people should know that.“ The Shogun said matter-of-factly. 

“Trivial?“ Beidou exclaimed. “Don’t discount the Abyss, Esther. A curse can be dangerous!”

“I agree with Beidou, Esther.“ Keqing sharply said. “You should not underestimate it, or your curse. For all we know, you can die tomorrow.“

“Hey now,“ Kaeya tries to ease the tension. “Esther is not-“

“Who’s dying?“

Kocho’s raspy voice at the door shut the room up.

“Are you all deaf? I said, who’s dying?“ He said, annoyed.

“Nobody’s dying.“ Esther hastily said. “Sit down.”

“You got cursed by that place?” He now walked towards them.

“Kocho, sit down.“ Kaeya warned. He ignored him.

“In my defense, I was fucking stupid. There, happy?“ They spat out, glaring at his walking figure.

They suddenly got yanked down by the arm to meet his...

Very furious and very annoyed face under his hat.

I don’t know what I expected.

“Sanctuary. Now.“ He dragged me out of the dining room.

“Ow! What the hell?!“ They protested, snatching up their coat on the door quickly. “I’m not dressed up, Kocho!“

“She won’t give a shit about your clothes.“ He said, annoyed, and dragged them out of the mansion and into the Waypoint.

“Well?“ He said impatiently. ”Do it. Teleport us, or whatever.“

“No. This thing has nothing to do with her. Plus, I don’t know if she will even allow me in.“ Esther said, glaring at him.

“You’re so stubborn. Fine, I’ll fly you there-“

“Alright, okay, okay!“ They huff.

The Handler and the Wanderer found themselves on the inclined stairway to the Sanctuary of Surasthana.

“Move it.“ He grabs their arm as he drags them up and into the doors in front of the Dendro Archon’s place.

“Stop yanking!“ The Handler protests. He huffs in annoyance. 

“Shut up. If you didn’t get yourself cursed in the first place, I would not be forced to drag you here.“ He says.

“Excuse you, i did not ASK to be dragged here!“ They retaliate, their voice echoing halfway as the Wanderer opens the doors and drags them in.

The Sanctuary is large, very pretty, and very green. 

They spot the Dendro Archon sitting in the center of the room, a small child with their eyes closed as if doing something.

Wanderer reaches for their arm again, but the Handler swats it away. 

“I can walk. I’m not fragile.“ They glare at him. 

“Fine.“ His face is impassive as he walks towards the Dendro Archon.

“Lesser Lord Kusanali, I brought someone here.“ The Handler is surprised at his sudden polite tone. 

The Dendro Archon opens her eyes, looks at them from behind and waves at them cheerily. “Oh? Are they the one you always talk abo-“

“Shhhhhh-NOPE!“ The Handler smirks at his sudden panicked tone.

“Hehe, okay, okay. Come here! Let’s talk together.“ She waves towards them again and pats down the empty space beside her.

Unsure, the Handler cautiously walks towards her and sits beside the small Dendro Archon.

“Um, hi, I’m-“ They extend their hands towards her, but is surprised when she grasps it with both hands gently.

“Yes, I know. You call yourself a Handler.“ She says matter-of-factly.”i’m Nahida! Nice to meet you!“

“I-uh...“ They glance at the Wanderer, who glares at them, as if to say don’t refuse.

“Okay then, Nahida.“ I sigh. “My name is Esther. I’m very honored to meet you.“

“Hehe, no need for pleasantries! Now, I presume you are here to ask me something?“ She shakes their hand and looks at the Wanderer.

“Is there any cure for an Abyssal curse?“ He asked, crossing his arms. “This person right here got themselves one.“

“Hmm...“ she thinks, her hand on her chin. “I’m sorry, but a curse by the Abyss, which i know very little about, even with the help of Irminsul, cannot be cured, as far as I know.“

I nod. “I understand, and I know.“

She now looks confused. “You knew? Then why ask me?”

I glared at Wanderer. “This guy dragged me here, Nahida. But I can’t deny that your answer helped.“

He hid under his lotus hat.

She giggles and crosses his arms at him. “You were concerned for them. No need to be shy about it.”

He now looks up, annoyed. “I’m not concerned.”

“Yes you are. It’s written all over your face! All you have to do is look at a mirror.“ She stands up and walks towards him, tugging his sleeve.

He huffs and looks at me now. “Don’t think this means anything, Handler.“ 

“Please, I don’t even care about it. All I want to do is say it, and yet you blew it out of proportion.” I shrug it off.

As long as I remain unreachable, there will be no pain. That is the prayer I recite every day. As long as i remain unreachable.

He looks away. “Whatever.”

...right?

They feel a sting on their chest.

[maggie-yo]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: VTG Otagiri Ducks Laquerware Tray-Japan.

[marikorawralton]

Clothing in The Knights Himura

Since someone kindly asked for me to continue my little writing pieces, I've decided to blow off some steam and talk about how I've decided clothing for characters in The Knights Himura.

Clothing is an absolute nightmare to get right. I have spent days workshopping character designs and have delayed the release of chapters in the past to get things just right on a character's design.

Tsukiko's design and the general "Knights' Regalia" went through probably dozens of revisions and edits over the years before I finally came to what I've got.

For the uninitiated, the general "Knights' Regalia" consists of a jacket, generally double breasted, and a flat billed, flat topped hat. Each Knight the has small changes to color, design, bottoms and accessories that change based on that person's needs or "purpose".

Tsukiko's jacket is white, with red stripes. The meaning of these colors is discussed in the story, with Aurelia discussing the multiple, possible meanings of those two colors.

Aurelia says she considers them to represent "love and goodness" but also reminds Tsukiko that colors can mean many things.

White is, obviously, a very bright color. It stands out in Tokyo's concrete jungle, contrasts the color of signage, and reflects any sort of neon, practically glowing at night.

This comes through in her clothing as well. Her heels, specifically, are described at times as making a loud sound with each step. They have red-bottoms, something saved for the most exclusive of footwear.

The rest of her "Regalia" is formal. Pantyhose and a white pencil skirt. Black gloves in later stories. These are all the clothing of high class.

Tsukiko's presence is always known. She stands out. She is the "face" of the Knights, an example. A beacon that represents the best of what the Knights Himura are, for better or for worse.

A seldom mentioned detail is that Tsukiko used to have a little red ribbon tied in her hair, something that is superceded by the hat. I sort of flip-flop on whether or not it's still there.

On one hand, I think it'd add some nice complexity to her character, but on the other, it's a somewhat common trope. Either way, it's definitely something she wears when in casual clothing.

As an aside, there is a sort of grim, somewhat unintentional foreshadowing and meaning for the red on Tsukiko's jacket. During the prologue and second chapter, Tsukiko wears a white blouse, which is stained with Fumiko's blood after she's stabbed, an earlier example of white mixed with red in the story.

Midway through Tsukiko's Belonging, Aurelia decides to add a pair of black leatherine gloves to Tsukiko's "Regalia". Though the reason given is to prevent her hands from being injured, they also serve a somewhat obvious metaphorical purpose. They keep her hands clean, untainted, and separate her from the things shes involved with.

Moving onto Shizuka, she wears a black and gold jacket and hat, with a grey plaid skirt and pantyhose.

Shizuka's jacket would be the first Knights' jacket, and thus more closely replicates its original inspiration: a 1920s Japanese school uniform.

In that era, men's uniforms were usually militaristic in design, resembling a naval uniform. Students donned a black cap and a black jacket with brass buttons.

Black and gold are traditional Japanese colors. For hundreds of years, gold has been applied to dark colored laquerware to create vibrant golden art pieces. Gold has also been used as a part of the Shakudo process for hundreds of years, a method of inlaying gold into metalworks.

But beyond all that, black and gold are simply good, mature colors that go well together. Black clothing is a fashion staple that will probably last until the end of time. Gold's value monetarily is only a fraction of its cultural weight and importance.

The color of Shizuka's jacket isn't based purely on tradition, though. Of the three Knights, Shizuka's outfit is the most utilitarian.

Shizuka spent most of her time as a Knight completely alone. All of her investigations, all of her fights and all of her struggles were all done by her. Her design is practical.

Black is a less conspicuous color, blending in in almost any environment. At night, black clothing can be nigh invisible at a distance. It easily hides any sort of stain or mark, making it easier to keep "clean".

Her boots are based on the black leather and gold thread Doc Martens / Solovair work boots. Not only are these very popular with the sorts of counter culture Shizuka would be a part of, they are also legendarily sturdy and well respected boots. They also reflect her more brutal and less restrained way of fighting, always willing to kick and stomp her opponent if needed.

Haruka's design is much of the same, but her jacket is the only one that lacks a secondary color, being a simple navy blue. Hers was the first one seen by the reader and the first one ever designed.

The navy blue's purpose is obvious, as it maintains the militaristic and professional look of the Knights "Regalia". However, the lack of a secondary color comes down to two things.

One, Haruka's jacket was the first introduced, so it got a very very brief description, which stuck. At that point, simply having the jacket was a point of interest in itself.

And two, Haruka herself is a somewhat secretive person. Her negative or personal emotions are rarely upfront, and she tends to bottle things until she explodes. The jacket's simply and somewhat cold exterior represents that in a way, which is why it was never "redesigned" into something more ornate.

Being the Second Knight, she's seldom talked about as well, being the awkward "middle child" between two more known people. Much of her development in the story isn't even related to her being a Knight, spending more time dwelling on her retirement, self-worth, and relationships with her family and Kazuo.

There's an obvious pun to be made here.

The only major changes made to her outfit are a pair of thigh high socks and lighter boots, whose purposes are more down to Haruka's own style. She moves around much more freely than the other Knights, and these changes allow her to be more agile. This is one of the details one of my editors suggested, so I owe them credit for this one.

I'd write more about other characters' clothes, but this post already feels absurdly long. I kind of expected to be able to cover some other characters, but scrolling down this multiple times made me realize just how much I already had to say.

Maybe if someone asks, I'll do a Part 2 and get into some of the clothing choices made in Tsukiko's Belonging, or maybe even go into more detail about Fumiko's somewhat varying outfits. That'd probably take a little longer, though, since I don't really have all of Fumi's outfits saved the memory. I could probably write an entire blogpost on just Hotaru Mori's outfit alone.

[tnpx]

Wait for it... Image description: Three slides of a tweet thread and write tweet that read: 1. Laquerware @laquerleaks "Dogshit - Very poor quality Bullshit - Not true Horseshit - Nonsense Apeshit - Rambunctious Batshit - Insane This is an excellent feature of English that we should continue building upon." 2. Laquerware @laquerleaks "Holy shit" 3. By me @thenextprofx "Asshole = piece of shit Arsehole = colonizer piece of shit Butthole = where shit comes out Bootyhole = where shit goes in (With consent, foreplay, and lube) Thank you for coming to my SexEd Talk." https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNcUW8Py3Knmb6Xm588KGAThO8xZ7bO8EXBug0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[yaohs]

#Burmese art. #laquerware #laquer #offeringvessel (at Le Planteur Restaurant & Bar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVI-eVXB0tX/?utm_medium=tumblr

[brahmacrafts-blog]

Lacquerware is a traditional craft of Karnataka, largely practised by craftsmen in Channapatna. The craftsmen, called as Chitragarsturn, tuen wood by hand or power operated lathe to form desired shape. Wood used is hale wood which is extremely close grained, moderately hard and ideal for turning. Lacquer is applied on the wood with coloured lac sticks. Heat is generated by friction and melts the lac which helps in applying the colour uniformly. Palm leaf is then used to give it a fine finish and lustre. In recent years, craftsmen have also resorted to hand painting of some articles to attract the urban market. Lacquerware products in vibrant colours suit modern tastes and include toys, bead curtains, bangles, coasters, napkin rings and powder boxes. . . . #woodworkers #woodentoys #laquer #laquerware #toys #child #kid #kiddish #moment #playoffs #toy #parents #liketolike #followforfollow #usa (at Boston, Massachusetts) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs207tkBSiE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bb0d7apgxslh

[fishareglorious]

IttoSara dynamic is just this meme:

“Ah yes. Me. My girlfriend. And her 500,000 mora four foot laquerware statue of the Raiden Shogun.”

[briskby]

A jewelry box is a good place to keep art supplies

[aahsoka]

what kind of object should i anthropomorphize

[bryansjapaneselitblog]

Five interesting Japanese non fiction books

“1. “In praise of shadows” by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki “ An essay on aesthetics by the Japanese novelist, this book explores architecture, jade, food, and even toilets, combining an acute sense of the use of space in buildings. The book also includes descriptions of laquerware under candlelight, and women in the darkness of the house of pleasure.” 

2.  “ A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy”  Shortly before his death in 1645, the undefeated swordsman Miyamoto Musashi retreated to a cave to live as a hermit. There he wrote five scrolls describing the "true principles" required for victory in the martial arts and on the battlefield. Instead of relying on religion or theory, Musashi based his writings on his own experience, observation, and reason.

3. “ Japanese Society “  This short work presents a configuration of the important elements to be found in contemporary Japanese social life, and attempts to shed new light on Japanese society. Nakane deals with his own society as a social anthropologist using some of the methods which he was accustomed to applying in examining any other society. However, its form is not that of a scientific thesis (as may be seen at once from the absence of a bibliography; the author also refrains from quoting any statistical figures or precise data directly obtained from field

4. “ Samurai: An Encyclopedia of Japan's Cultured Warriors “  The samurai were an aristocratic class of warriors who imposed and maintained peace in Japan for more than two centuries during the Tokugawa or Edo period, 1603-1868. While they maintained a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence, as a result of the peace the samurai themselves were transformed over time into an educated, cultured elite--one that remained fiercely proud of its military legacy and hyper-sensitive in defending their individual honor.

5. “ Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone “  It was Japan’s greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It set off a national crisis, and the meltdown of a nuclear power plant. And even after the immediate emergency had abated, the trauma of the disaster continued to express itself in bizarre and mysterious ways.

[raijinden]

     Sara’s Raiden Shogun laquerware collection vs Keqing’s Rex Lapis figure collection go

[maggie-yo]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: VTG Otagiri Ducks Laquerware Tray-Japan.