Lacquerware such as bowls, multi-tiered boxes, and confectionery bowls have long been familiar to people as an integral part of their daily lives. They are characterized by their robust coating and elegant designs such as inlaid gold, vermilion polishing, and maki-e. Aizu-e lacquerwork in particular is unique for its surface patterns, which are painted on with a brush dipped in colored lacquer. These pleasing patterns, in combination with the beauty of the surface coating, make for magnificent results.

Aizu lacquermaking is said to have begun in the Muromachi period, when lacquerware production was beginning to spread and a feudal lord began planting lacquer trees as a local specialty. The surrounding mountains were (and still are) thickly covered with timber, and the area’s humid climate was well suited to working with lacquer. These factors facilitated the development of Aizu lacquerware, and successive feudal lords since the Azuchi-Momoyama period have protected Aizu lacquerware over time.