Harvesting Urushi — Japan's Rarest Natural Resin

A single urushi tree yields about 200 ml — one cup — in its entire lifetime, after ten to fifteen years of growth. Then it is cut down. No machine can do this work; every drop is collected by hand.

Below, we document the harvesting of urushi resin by Mr. Gaku Hirai in Ibaraki Prefecture, and set out the economics that make this resin one of the rarest natural materials still in use.

Natural Urushi　天然 漆

Urushi resin, being a natural resin, possesses remarkable protective properties due to its role in healing the tree when it is damaged. Only around 200 ml (one cup) of urushi resin can be collected from a single urushi tree that is 10 to 15 years old. After resin collection, the tree is typically cut down to make way for a new tree to be planted.

 Urushi resin collection in Japan

The entire process of urushi resin collection is carried out by specially trained and skilled craftsmen, not only in Japan but also in China and Southeast Asia. Each tree is unique, and there is no alternative method for extracting the resin from these individual trees. 

A prime example of traditional urushi resin collection in Japan can be seen in the work of Mr. Gaku Hirai, a trained urushi resin collector. Mr. Hirai collects urushi resin from urushi trees in Hitachi-Ohmiya City, Ibaraki Prefecture, demonstrating the expertise and dedication required to sustain this ancient craft.

Urushi tree is being groove cut using a special urushi kanna (knife)  

The season for urushi resin collection typically spans from late May to the end of October or early November, depending on the region. During this season, resin is collected every 4 to 5 days, allowing the urushi tree time to recover from the damage caused by the groove cuts and regenerate its urushi resin supply. This careful harvesting process ensures the tree's vitality and promotes continuous resin production throughout the season.

 The Urushi tree is being groove cut slightly slanted for efficient collection of urushi resin

The depth of the groove is a crucial factor in producing high-quality urushi. If the groove is too shallow, the resin will not flow adequately, and if it is too deep, the vitality of the urushi tree may be compromised. Striking the right balance is essential for both ensuring the tree's health and obtaining the desired resin yield. Skilled urushi resin collectors possess the expertise to make precise cuts that maximize resin production without causing undue harm to the tree.

Urushi is tapped by carving the bark of the urushi tree with a horizontal, long groove, and letting the tree yield clear to milky-white resin. It takes at least 10 years, preferably 15 years, for a urushi tree to grow big enough to be tapped.

A skilled urushi collector will tap the urushi trees from June to October and collect drops of the resin one by one. Normally, each urushi tree being tapped will have three days before the next taps are made during the season, and normally, the tree will be cut down after that one season's harvest of the urushi resin. The urushi tree yields only about 100 to 200 grams of raw urushi resin in its whole lifetime, which makes it a very precious and expensive substance.

The urushi could only be collected by the hands of a skilled urushi collector. There is no machinery to collect the urushi resin. The required skill, knowledge, and decision-making to collect fine urushi resin are very high and complex. Since each tree is different, you need to understand the condition of each tree.

To tap the urushi, you need to take many things into account: the angle of each trunk of the tree, the direction of the sun, the thickness of the bark at each position you tap, how vigorous the tree is due to the recent damage you gave it, recent weather, and so on. If you groove too deep and too long, you will kill the tree, and your yield will go down; if you groove too little, you may not kill the tree, but the results are the same. If your tapping angle of the groove is not right, you lose the resin.

Four days is the minimum interval for tapping a tree. The Urushi tree needs three days to produce the urushi. So the urushi collector will come to the tree every four days. The skilled collector may tap about 60 to 100 trees per day, depending on the places. So in theory, you need at least 60 x 4 = 240 new trees per season for a collector to efficiently collect the urushi resin in the season. The collector will collect in total 240(trees) x 150(grams/tree) = 36 (kgs) of raw urushi per season of five months full-time work without weekends. (tapping is not done on a rainy day) You need at least 10 years for a urushi tree before being tapped. Therefore, you constantly need at least 240 x 10 years = 2400 urushi trees for the urushi collector to sustain his work.

Traditionally, urushi trees have been cultivated in the steepest mountains where farming cannot be done. (Recent urushi tree cultivation is made on moderate hills for preservation purposes) Urushi tree yields the best resin in the highest season in summer. Therefore, urushi collection has been one of the toughest occupations in Japan.

Facts about the Urushi Lacquer Used in Japan

The production volume of Japanese raw natural urushi lacquer in Japan was quite limited in recent years, with only 1,845 kgs in 2018 and 1,045 kgs in 2013. This accounted for merely 4.9% in 2018 and 2.6% in 2013 of the total raw natural urushi lacquer consumed in Japan, which was 37,724 kgs in 2018 and 40,542 kgs in 2013. The remaining 95.1% in 2018 and 97.4% in 2013 were imported raw natural urushi lacquer. The main importing countries in 2013 were China (89.2%), Thailand (5.7%), and Myanmar (2.5%), which together provided 97.4% of the raw natural urushi lacquer consumed in Japan. These numbers are derived from government statistics. It is believed that the import of raw natural urushi lacquer from China dates back to the Edo period (1603 - 1868).  

Chinese natural urushi lacquer has a similar material composition to Japanese natural urushi lacquer, but it is said that Japanese urushi lacquer provides a higher gloss, luster, and hardness when applied, dried, and polished, compared to Chinese urushi lacquer. As a result, the aesthetic beauty of the finished product may differ. On the other hand, the cost of Chinese natural urushi lacquer is only one-tenth to one-fifth of the Japanese counterpart. Consequently, even the highest-quality Japanese lacquerware typically uses Japanese natural urushi lacquer only for the top-coat, while the bottom-coat and middle-coat utilize Chinese natural urushi lacquer, where the aesthetic quality of the lacquer is not a significant concern. 

By now, you can appreciate the value of urushi and the efforts behind creating genuine lacquerware. We are confident that your interest in Japanese lacquerware will contribute to preserving the tradition of urushi collection in Asia.  

 

For the composition and chemistry of urushi — urushiol, laccase, and how it hardens in humidity — see What is Urushi?

For the history and cultural standing of urushi lacquerware in Japan, see History & Tradition of Japanese Lacquerware.

Explore our collections of authentic urushi lacquerware.