Word: lacquers
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...1980s, however, black is hip. Not since the glossy lacquer fixtures of art deco and Ford's utilitarian Model T has the color of doom been so specifically fashionable or so ubiquitous. In big cities, there are upscale stores that sell virtually nothing but black hardware and electronics, black furniture, luggage and clothing. One such place in New York City is called Black Market, a punky East Village store just down the block from a still punkier black leather boutique called Fetisch...
Viewed today, the choice of motif sometimes looks entirely whimsical: a pumpkin done in black lacquer and silver leaf, or an iron eggplant. Sometimes they are ironically lowly: a rustic straw bag done in gold-and-silver-inlaid iron, or a common rice bowl. Some convey (at least from inside a glass case) a feeling of sacerdotal calm rather than ferocity, like a wonderful 17th century helmet in the form of a courtier's hat, rising like an inverted keel some two feet above the head and decorated in a tortoiseshell pattern of black and honey-colored lacquer. Others seem...
...thought handheld gaming devices were just for kids, Sony's new PSP (short for PlayStation Portable) could easily change your mind. With its slick, black-lacquer design, bright 4.3-in. display and ability to play movies and MP3s, the $250 PSP makes its main competitor, the Nintendo DS, look like a relic from the Ice Age. The PSP could be the hottest gizmo since the iPod. --By Anita Hamilton...
...come up with new products because Japanese lifestyles had changed so much," says company president Kenta Yamada, whose grandfather founded the business in 1919. An important step was making lacquer more affordable, partly by downplaying pricey occasional pieces in favor of everyday items like picture frames and kids' tableware. New production techniques, such as the use of synthetic varnish instead of traditional sap, helped cut costs, and savvier positioning introduced the brand to new markets. Some years ago, the Yamada Heiando store moved from Nihonbashi, Tokyo's best-known shopping area, to the hip neighborhood of Daikanyama, where funky boutiques...
...Yamada maintains some traditions, however. About half of his wares are still produced from wood and natural urushi lacquer by craftsmen in the Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures beside the Sea of Japan, where the moist air creates ideal conditions for varnishing. Yamada Heiando also remains a purveyor of lacquer ware to the Imperial Household Agency. Does that mean Japan's royals will be trying out Yamada Heiando's newfangled goods, like its natty lacquer cuff links? "I'd like them to," Yamada says, "but it's not so easy." Commoners, on the other hand, can't get enough...