Wooden Tableware Aging Process (Coating Finish)

Here is an example of a coated finish, specifically a bowl by Hirota-san, which has been coated with 10 layers of raw urushi.

The shop owner uses this bowl as a rice bowl, and the lacquer on our bowl has hardly peeled off at all, showing no visible signs of aging. Therefore, I took a photo of the same bowl that Hirota-san and his partner have been using for about 10 years (from the second photo onwards).

How does it look? The lacquer on the edges has peeled off, giving it a distinctly well-used appearance. (When you see the actual bowl, this effect is even more pronounced.)

As mentioned in "Examples of the Aging Process and Maintenance of Wooden Tableware (Oil Finish)", there is no issue with using the tableware even when the lacquer has peeled off like this.

If you want to protect the wood in areas where the coating has peeled off, you can substitute it by rubbing in oil. For more thorough restoration, it is recommended to consult the maker or a specialist. For products purchased from our shop, please feel free to contact us.