Urushi art for everyday life

You don't have to be Marie Antoinette or any nobility to enjoy urushi art in your everyday life.

I'm lucky that I live in Seattle. Twice a year Kyoto Art and Antiques opens a warehouse sale, and it has become my ritual to go to the sale for treasure hunting.

There I found urushi jubako (重箱), or stacked boxes, in different sizes. When I host my friends for lunch, these jubako boxes become handy serving plates. Quite effective in thermal insulation, urushi bowls keep my miso soup warm. It is proven that urushi has antibacterial effect -- No wonder the Japanese cuisine has long utilized urushi tableware.

The container box that houses one of my jubako tells it was made in 安政四年... That's 1857! I wonder, whoever made this jubako, would have imagined that his/her work is still used after almost 160 years an ocean away...