Ise lacquerware, long known as "Ise Shunkei,” was actively produced in Ise from the Edo period to the 1950s. Solid pieces of cypress wood are used to create a sturdy structure that is then colored with red ochre, coated with persimmon tannin, and finished with a transparent Shunkei lacquer. The beauty of the wood grain is preserved, with the grain showing through the lacquer. Ise Shunkei lacquerware techniques were used to make a wide variety of everyday items such as stacked boxes, trays, cut trays, and trays. For example, the accompanying photograph shows a wooden box made by joinery that is undercoated with red ochre or persimmon tannin, then coated with lacquer. Sturdy and easy-to-use household items like these were widely used throughout the country. Today, a restoration project based at the Ise Shunkei Design Studio is working to revive this important craft tradition.