Late Muromachi period, c.1500
Red over black lacquer, negoro style
28.8 x 28.8 x 2.4 cm.
Contained within this simple piece can be found a narrative that epitomises an essential core value of the Japanese aesthetic, begs contrasting comparison with Western traditions, and presents a universal appeal that draws on the viewer’s sensibilities to create rich allusion.
Prosaically, it is a wooden tray of Japanese cypress, hinoki, lacquer-coated firstly in black and then with a finishing coat of red – the colour traditionally believed to ward off evil and misfortune. Such trays, also sometimes called zen trays, were made primarily for mealtime servings – typically carrying a monk’s food dish, sake container, cup and chopsticks – but might also be used for shrine offerings. Basically, therefore, this is a strictly utilitarian piece for use in a temple’s dining hall, showing clear evidence of use, so that over years of service and cleaning its red finish has worn through to the black base-coat. To many western eyes such wear would traditionally be seen as damage that, at the least, requires refinishing if not total replacement. To the Japanese sensibility its appearance has long been appreciated as the “beauty of use”, yo no bi – evidencing a history that increasingly enriches the piece, and commands respect for its long and valued service.
Such pieces – primarily a wide range of utensils and containers for the storage and serving of food and drink - have become known as negoro after the Negoro-ji temple, where it is believed the technique originated. The temple, founded in the late Heian period, had by the 15th century grown to a complex of over 300 sub-temples housing at least 3000 monks. In an act that draws parallels with England’s Henry VIII’s destruction of monasteries in the second quarter of the 16th century, warlord Hideyoshi, fearing the potential political influence of the Negoro-ji community, destroyed much of the complex in 1585.
Reflecting on this specific piece may prompt the viewer to appreciate the rich surface textures that have developed into an abstract imagery to rival a contemporary painting, or to consider the circumstances that have led to its appearance – the repeated cleaning, the memories of food and drink vessels - imprints of which rise up through the finish, its everyday use. Perhaps more profoundly it causes us to reflect on the nature of beauty, the power of continuity and the ability of a humble item to connect us directly back into the working life of a society distant in both time and place.