Re: [Shaku] oops

Hi Bruce
I am not sure that my original mail ever actually got
through. Maybe because of your crash?

> >The fact that a number of foreigners have an
> adverse
> >reaction to the urushi in shakuhachi has surprised
> me.
>=20
> Do you mean that, as far as you know, no Japanese
> reacts to urushi
> in a shakuhachi? Or just that the number is
> smaller?

Come to think if it, I hear from many foreigners about
it but could also be the same proportion of Japanese
too? Someone else will have to answer that - anyone?

> I react strongly to urushi in shakuhachi until it's
> dried for about
> 18 months - so I just buy well-used, old flutes.=20
> But I don't react
> to eating utensils.

Well it's exactly because of this that I asked my
urushi teacher "How long do you wait once your urushi
products are finished, before you sell them?" I was
expecting him to say maybe 6 months or 1 year, to make
sure no-one would react, like you said about 18 months
for shakuhachi.
However, he said, as soon as the urushi is cured (i.e.
maybe a few days) they are ready to sell.

>=20
> >...Or, there may be some part of the process used
> by certain
> >shakuhachi makers which is involved in this
> problem.
>=20
> Or, a third possibility is that there is something
> different in the
> process for urushi artists that is different from
> that used by
> shakuhachi makers. This seems more logical to me.

Isn't it exactly what I said?

> Do you know if urushi artists outside the shakuhachi
> community
> cure their lacquer differently than shakuhachi
> makers?
>=20
> bj

Actually, the whole process is generally different.
Actually every shakuhachi maker has their own way for
the numerous processes involved, and so also every
urushi artist has their own ways. More generally there
are trends of course, for the different areas in Japan
and the urushi specialties which developed through the
generations. And it was from this craft that the
shakuhachi makers originally adopted their urushi
skills. Of course, they only adopted what they needed,
and then, over the generations, the methods changed.
There used also to be differences between the Kanto
shakuhachi makers and the Kansai makers.
Anyhow, I have wondered if it might be due to some of
these changes in process which results in this
reaction.
Did you ever notice for example that you reacted to
some new shakuhachi but not some others? I.e. reacting
differently to shakuhachi of different makers?

Best wishes
Justin

      =20
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___________
Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell.=20
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Received on Sat Jun 23 10:16 PDT 2007