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The Lacquer Warriors of Edo
Art, Power and Toxicity in Japan's Urushi Trade

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About this book:

The Lacquer Warriors of Edo Step into the dazzling world of Edo‑period Japanese lacquer, where every gleaming surface hides a story of poison, power, and relentless human endurance. *The Lacquer Warriors of Edo* uncovers how the toxic sap of the urushi tree—harvested at great personal cost—became the shogunate’s most prized symbol of authority, adorning samurai armor, tea‑house treasures, and the secret luxury of merchant‑class inro.

Through vivid chapters that trace the sap’s journey from mountain forests to the sealed ateliers of Nihonbashi, the book reveals the brutal chemistry of urushiol, the perilous rituals of harvesters and polishers, and the hidden economies that turned lethal resin into imperial splendor. You’ll meet the nameless craftsmen whose blistered hands forged eternity, the women and unsung gilders who labored in shadow, and the political maneuvers that turned poison into prestige.

Prepare to look beyond the flawless shine and discover the blood, sweat, and danger that forged Japan’s most enduring art form—a tale where beauty is bought with pain, and mastery emerges from the very edge of toxicity. If you crave a history that is as rich and dangerous as the lacquer it describes, this is the book you’ve been waiting for.

Table of Contents:
  • Introduction
  • Chapter 1 The Poison Tree: Toxicodendron vernicifluum and the Harvest of Sap
  • Chapter 2 Urushiol’s Bite: The Perilous Price of Crafting Darkness
  • Chapter 3 Bloodlines and Blisters: The Early Guilds of Edo
  • Chapter 4 From Sap to Surface: Chemistry of the Curing Chamber
  • Chapter 5 The Shogun’s Sheen: Tokugawa Patronage and Imperial Taste
  • Chapter 6 Gold Dust and Shadows: The Genesis of Maki-e Mastery
  • Chapter 7 Armoring the Bushi: Scabbards, Saddles, and Battle Lacquer
  • Chapter 8 Poison in the Atelier: Occupational Afflictions of the Artisan Class
  • Chapter 9 The Red Alchemy: Cinnabar, Mercury, and the Carved Tsuishu
  • Chapter 10 Workshops of Nihonbashi: The Urban Geography of Edo’s Craft
  • Chapter 11 The Daimyo’s Trousseau: Dynastic Alliances Painted in Gold
  • Chapter 12 Charcoal, Water, and Horn: The Unforgiving Rituals of Polishing
  • Chapter 13 Inro and Netsuke: Fashion, Subversion, and the Merchant Elite
  • Chapter 14 The Invisible Hazard: Chronic Toxicity and the Short Lives of Masters
  • Chapter 15 The Wood Beneath the Skin: Joiners, Turners, and Substrate Secrets
  • Chapter 16 Smuggling the Sap: Black Markets and Clan Monopolies
  • Chapter 17 Tea Masters and the Wabi Aesthetic: Lacquer for the Chanoyu Ritual
  • Chapter 18 Black Ships and Black Lacquer: Early Western Fascination and Trade
  • Chapter 19 Mother-of-Pearl and Shell: Raden Inlays and the Cost of Luxury
  • Chapter 20 Sumptuary Laws and the Shogunate’s Crackdown on Opulence
  • Chapter 21 The Master of Ogata: Korin, Wave Patterns, and Artisan Autonomy
  • Chapter 22 Women of the Lacquer Wards: Unsung Labor and Household Toxins
  • Chapter 23 Sacred Reliquaries: Temple Restoration and Religious Artifice
  • Chapter 24 The Fires of Edo: Destruction, Resilience, and Rebuilding
  • Chapter 25 Twilight of the Shogunate: The Survival of Urushi in a Modernizing World
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Author:

Marilyn O. Stevens

Published By:

MixCache.com Extended Catalog

Type:

Nonfiction

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