RE: [Shaku] The Power of Urushi

--- Karl Signell <signell@umbc.edu> wrote:

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

Hi Karl
Could you give Fumio's explanation of what he means
here by allergic? Seems there are different levels of
reactivity. For example, of all the people who have
eaten in my home with chopsticks which I coated with
urushi, and from time to time touch up as they wear,
no-one has had any reaction. (However, had I been
adding fresh urushi to the soup, probably quite a few
of them would have reacted!)

I wonder if Fumio might mean sensitive rather than
alleric? Does he explain the level of sensitivity he
means by this 50%? (I cannot imagine in the Edo period
half the population being permanently swollen from all
the laquerware about).

Justin

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Received on Tue Jun 26 21:58 PDT 2007