RE: [Shaku] The Power of Urushi

> > Have to wonder why urushi is used in shukuachi.
> > Maybe it=B9s a macho thing,
> > like eating Fugu.

I think it's a Japanese identity thing. And no use complaining about
something that can't be helped (the "Mama no Kawa" attitude).

> I did ask my urushi teacher whether he had ever heard=20
> of anyone having any reaction to the urushi from eating=20
> utensils, and he said no-one reacts to it once it is dry.=20

"Dry" is misleading. Urushi requires humidity to cure.

50% of Japanese people are allergic to urushi, according to the noted
Japanese scholar Fumio Koizumi.

Karl Signell

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Received on Tue Jun 26 09:14 PDT 2007