![\"\"](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/c57b85280141c6f2978562d2544d214e.jpg\")
It\u2019s easy to understand why these dolls are so loved by Yamaguchi\u2019s citizens: they evoke a certain nostalgia, connecting the present with the city\u2019s golden era back in the 14th to 16th centuries. Under the leadership of the Ouchi family, the city became one of the most prosperous in Japan, earning it the nickname \u201cKyoto of the West.\u201d Foreign trade with Korea and China led to the development of a sophisticated lacquerware industry, known today as \u201cOuchi lacquerware.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japanese lacquer has been used since\nprehistoric times to embellish and protect utensils. Yamaguchi\u2019s Ouchi\nlacquerware, a government-designated traditional craft, is a local variety whose\nmost popular manifestation is the Ouchi dolls. According to the tradition,\nfeudal lord Ouchi Hiroyo (1325-1380) filled his palace with dolls so as to keep\nhis wife company \u2013 a lady from Kyoto who missed her hometown. Inspired by this\nstory, Ouchi dolls continue to be produced today and have come to symbolize happiness\nin marriage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intrigued by the story, I visited one of the 5 workshops belonging to the Ouchi lacquerware artisans\u2019 guild that still exist today. Founded in 1926, Nakamura Mingeisha\u2019s business has been passed down for three generations. Young and energetic Rie Nakamura cheerfully greets me and guides me inside. Dozens of Ouchi dolls of all shapes and sizes, all standing proudly in their display cases, their faces shiny and sleek, fill the shelves. There are also lacquerware plates, trays, and bowls all decorated following the Ouchi style: autumn flower patterns over a base of dark red and the Ouchi family crest in gold leaf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Rie explains, those luxurious sets of\ntableware were probably all the rage in times past, but nowadays with the\npopularization of cheap, water-resistant materials, Japan\u2019s middle-class\nfamilies prefer to shop in zakka <\/em>stores and 100-yen shops selling\nmass-produced household items. Between the drop in sales, artisans aging, and without\nyoung people willing to take on the tradition, the number of workshops has\ndecreased by half in the last 30 years: an art at risk of fading away should\nactions not be taken to protect it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Though popular, Ouchi dolls also need to\nadapt to modern times. The creation of one doll is a long process, which\naccounts for its high price: the wooden pieces are coated, painted, decorated layer\nby layer and left to dry naturally over the course of months. Rie Nakamura\u2019s\nhusband and brother-in-law split the work: while one applies the base colors the\nother is in charge of drawing the details, and applying the final decorations using\ngold leaf and mother-of-pearl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In an effort to revitalize the industry, as well as increase younger generations\u2019 awareness of Ouchi lacquerware as part of Yamaguchi\u2019s cultural identity, Nakamura Mingeisha has taken many innovative steps: for instance, the store features elaborate lacquerware art, with an electric guitar, and even Gundam robot figures as canvas for the designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/99ffc84dfa184ee468ce308eac7ea0e8-1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/a951c4c99256bdb2a331ab5ca3c2ab08.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/15ec3b38785f33bdbe26f10de81fd47a-1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/e72504ec4d814c58c823d631a2886489.jpg\")
![](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/64d35eb44f1e460a288ef37a37e73c0d.jpg\")
<\/div>\n