The Finer Points Of Japanese Cloisonne

By Dennis Graham


Artistic expression is a cornerstone of humanity. The ability to look at the world and capture the beauty of it is something that is uniquely human. Now, given the sheer number of people out and about in the world, it would only make sense that each culture has its own way of expressing their own artistic visions, and Japanese Cloisonne is just one of them.

Cloisonne is a type of art. It is typically used to be paint things like jars, vases, and other such finery. Now, the word itself is French, but some of the most famous examples are decidedly East Asian in origin.

The history of it in Japan begins in the Meiji period. At the time the samurai class, once one of the highest ranks in society, had taken quite a social tumble. Many samurai had to live on a paltry income. Then one of the decided to supplement their income, and they did that by using art. They took a piece of Chinese enamel and then deconstructed it, in the process learning the methodology in its creation. Once that samurai learned the process, they took on students. The resulting pieces would become highly desired exports once Japan reopened itself to the rest of the world after going through an isolationist phase.

The thing, there really are not that many practical functions for cloisonne. The fact is that art itself is not very practical. Art does not lend itself well to practicality. But still, the world without it would be nothing short of dull. So it makes the world a little less dull, puts a little bit more color in life.

The way it is done is fairly simple. First, fine wires must be applied in order to lay out the area to be decorated. Then enamel paste is applied on to the designated areas, almost in the same manner as a child would color in a coloring book. Once that is done, the whole thing is heated and then subsequently polished.

While there are arts and crafts classes and adult coloring books to help a fully grown human relax with some artistic pursuits, cloisonne still has its place in the pantheon of making things not ugly. First of all, it takes time. This of course means that the artist has to put their focus into it, which can make the rest of the world melt away.

There are going to be some supplies that are needed. First will be the copper bowl or dish or plate or jar. Then some wires. Then some enamel, because the whole thing needs some coloring otherwise there would be no point to it.

There is going to be quite a bit of time expended on the activity. Anyone who wants to do this needs to be sure. Because it will not get done in a matter of seconds. It will take quite a while.

The world used to be empty. But then mankind showed up and saw all the vibrancy around it. So it put stone to cave wall and started making art.




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