Jun Yong Bok applies layers of lacquer to a canvas at his studio in the Iwayama Urushi Art Museum in Morioka.
The South Korean artist chats with a Miyako High School student during a workshop at the museum.
Jun stands before "Iwate no Tamashii," a huge lacquer painting.
Squeezing lacquer from a cloth, Jun tries not to waste the material as only about 150 grams can be obtained from a 15-year-old lacquer tree.
Photos by Daily Yomiuri Photographer Makoto Miyazaki
By Ayako Hirayama
Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
MORIOKA--It began with an unexpected visit from a Japanese about 20 years ago. The Japanese had traveled all the way to Busan to ask South Korean artist Jun Yong Bok to repair an ozen, a square wooden lacquer dinner tray.
Jun, who had just started to make his name as a lacquer artist in South Korea, was not happy about refurbishing someone else's work, but he accepted the job, hoping he would learn about Japanese lacquer art.
Jun found that South Korean techniques for mother-of-pearl inlays worked well to bring new life to old Japanese tableware. The artist's craftsmanship impressed his client so much he was given another order--repairing 1,000 more ozen.
His client was the operator of Meguro Gajoen, a huge gala banquet hall in Tokyo established in the early 1930s that houses architectural structures registered with the government as historical cultural properties. Due to its magnificence, the hall was once dubbed Showa no Ryugujo, or the Palace of the Dragon King of the Showa era (1926-1989).
But the 54-year-old Jun had a completely different impression. "When I heard the name Gajoen, I thought it was an eatery," he said. "So I was stunned when I received such a big order."
The restoration work on the trays, however, proved easy, compared with the challenges that were to come.
After repairing the trays, he visited Gajoen in 1986 and was lost for words as he viewed the rooms, hallways and ceilings decorated with traditional Japanese paintings, lacquerwork and other luxurious ornaments. "I thought if there's a heaven for people who admire lacquerwork, it must be Gajoen," he said, recalling his first visit to the 2.6-hectare facility.
The visit increased Jun's interest in working in Japan, which has even given its name--japan--to lacquer. His opportunity came soon after his visit, but it involved great risk and a lot of hard work.
During his stay, Jun learned that Gajoen was scheduled to be demolished in a few years to make way for the expansion the nearby Megurogawa river. The operator of the structure had to decide whether the hall should be moved and restored or demolished so the area could be turned into a business district.
Jun was told by a Gajoen executive that if the operator decided to restore the structure, the company would put out tenders for contractors. Although the Gajoen's future was uncertain, Jun resolved to take a chance and started making preparations so that he could make a bid.
The first thing he did after returning to South Korea was enter a university at age 34 to take an intensive Japanese course. During this time, he developed skills in Japanese lacquerwork on his own. Once every few months, he visited Japan, touring historic centers of lacquerware such as Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, as well as the Gajoen, where he carefully examined each piece and noted down his ideas for the restoration. In this way, he spent a huge amount of time, money and energy on the pending project.
After two years, Jun finally received a phone call notifying him that the \3 billion restoration project had been approved. Competition for the job was fierce, but his thorough preparations paid off, enabling the low-profile foreign artist to beat out Japanese rivals, many of whom were much more experienced.
"I told myself not to regret the two years [of preparations] even if I failed to win the contract, but it was agonizing waiting for the result [selection of the winning bid]," he said.
For the next three years until Gajoen reopened in 1991, Jun and his South Korean coworkers refurbished about 5,000 items, using 10 tons of lacquer--equivalent to 10 years of production in Japan. Most of the work was done in an unoccupied school in Kawaimura, Iwate Prefecture, as a clean environment is required for lacquering.
In 1988, Jun moved his family to the rural town, but their new life got off to a rough start. His two daughters, who had lived in a big city, screamed whenever they came across a snake, while his mother cried over their uncertain life in such a remote area. Even his son, who was born in Japan, repeatedly asked him why they lived there.
Challenges also presented themselves in the workplace as well. When visa problems prevented additional workers from entering Japan, the 30 workers already in the country had to make up for the labor shortage, often with only two to three hours of sleep a day, as the reopening of Gajoen was only six months away.
"We could get through it because we put our lives into the work," he said. "I didn't want people to think that it had been a mistake to let us, South Koreans, do the job."
His fighting spirit may have come from his hard childhood. After his older brother died, Jun had to work at several jobs to support his family while he was only a primary school student. Although he liked painting, he could not afford to study art.
His first encounter with lacquer occurred when he was 20, when he was hired by a company making lacquer furniture. His work soon gained popularity, and he established his own studio in Busan in 1980, so he could pursue a career as an artist. "Past hardships made me who I am today," he said.
After the Gajoen project, Jun decided to stay in Iwate Prefecture and currently lives in Morioka with his wife, Ha Yeong, who he said is his greatest supporter and never complains. As president of japan21 Iwate, an organization that promotes lacquer culture, Jun operates the Iwayama Urushi Art Museum in Morioka, where about 2,000 lacquer pieces are on display.
The museum's piece de resistance is one of the largest lacquer paintings in the world, measuring 18 meters by 2.42 meters. In the piece, titled "Iwate no Tamashii" (Soul of Iwate), Jun depicted the nature, traditions and people of Iwate.
Over the past 15 years, Jun also has been passionate about providing people with opportunities to "see" the beauty and potential of lacquer art by holding workshops and giving more than 200 lectures across Japan. About 15 students of Miyako High School, who visited the museum last month, appeared excited with what the artist calls "the magic" of creating beauty. According to schoolteacher Kosuke Takahashi, the program is popular among his students as the artist is an inspiration to them.
Kei Chabata, 19, an alumna of the school working at the museum as a researcher, said she might not have become involved with lacquer art if she had not met Jun.
In 2000, Jun received an award from the South Korean president, equivalent to the Order of Cultural Merit here, for his role in deepening artistic ties between Japan and South Korea.
"Doing lacquerwork in the exact same way our ancestors did doesn't mean only preserving traditions," Jun said. "I believe artists should reflect not only the past but also the present in their work. So I want to keep exploring various possibilities using lacquer."
(July. 3, 2006)
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