Kakinoshima urushi lacquer
Laca urushi de Kakinoshima
- Date
- c. 7000 BCE · confidence medium
- Place
- Kakinoshima B site, Hakodate, Hokkaidō, Japan
- Credited to
- Jōmon culture
- Field
- Matter & energy
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Threads and funerary ornaments coated in red lacquer from the sap of Toxicodendron vernicifluum, dated to about 9,000 years ago. This would be the earliest known use of lacquer, predating the examples from Hemudu in China.
The original pieces were destroyed by fire in 2002, and the dating rests on associated samples; the origin of the lacquer tree (probably continental) remains debated, so priority over China is disputed.
What it led to
- the Jōmon lacquerware tradition (combs, vessels and lacquered bows)
- waterproofing and resin adhesives
- the Japanese art of lacquer (urushi-e, maki-e)