In this hands-on workshop guided by master lacquer craftsman Nobuyasu Suginaka, you’ll apply a beautiful ‘maki-e’ design to a set of wooden coasters using powdered brass. There will be three designs for you to choose from – cherry blossom, Mt. Fuji, and maple leaf; or apply a short word, name, or initials using letter stamps.

Maki-e (literally: sprinkled picture) is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with precious metal powders to create decorative patterns and pictures. Developed way back in the Heian Period (794–1185), maki-e objects were initially designed as household items for court nobles; due to their dazzling beauty they soon gained popularity and were adopted by royal families and military leaders as a symbol of power.

Throughout the workshop, you will be guided by master lacquer and kintsugi craftsman Nobuyasu Suginaka who is visiting Pantechnicon from Japan with Kintsugi Labo, specially to lead the classes. Mr Nobuyasu will be bringing the wood coasters you’ll be decorating with him, which have been shaped from wood collected from forests near his workshop in Shiga Prefecture using the sustainable forest thinning process.

The workshop runs for 90 minutes and it will take an additional 30-40 minutes for your work to dry so you take it home. You can spend the drying time exploring Pantechnicon’s design shops – Edit & Studio – or having a drink at Café Kitsune or Roof Garden.

About Master Lacquer & Kintsugi Artisan Nobuyasu Suginaka

Specially visiting Pantechnicon from Japan, Suginaka is an urushi lacquer and kintsugi artist who is based at this artist workshop called SOWEIDO (宗永堂) in Nagahama, a city in Shiga Prefecture, near Kyoto. He is a master urushi artisan, known for his beautiful finishes created using not only kintsugi, but also various techniques such as lacquering, foil stamping, and maki-e.

About Kintsugi Labo Japan

Launched in 2020 with the aim of creating sustainable art, Kintsugi Labo collect broken ceramics from kilns in Kyoto, Arita, and Shiga, that would otherwise be discarded and repair them using the traditional kintsugi lacquering process, working with artisans including Mr Suginaka. They also create works in which the cracks in kintsugi parts are used as stems of plants to create patterns in maki-e painting.

Tickets: £65 – includes all you need to make a set of maki-e coasters