Revealing the beauty of urushi

Описание: This video shows the part of my work that matters the most to me: revealing what is already there.
Urushi pens don’t become beautiful when the last layer of lacquer is applied. At that stage they often look dull, flat, sometimes even disappointing. The real moment of truth comes later — during sanding.
In this video I walk you through different stages of an urushi fountain pen:
from raw ebonite,
through early urushi layers and nakanuri,
structural layers in kawarinuri,
color layers,
failed tame-nuri,
and finally the sanding that reveals the hidden pattern.
What you see during sanding is the result of weeks or months of work: layers built up slowly, cured carefully, often imperfect, sometimes intentionally destroyed and rebuilt. Sanding is not a correction step — it is the step where the design finally appears.
This is why I often say that urushi craftsmen are not really lacquering artists. We are sanding artists.
The day you start sanding is the day you find out whether three or four months of work were worth it.
If you’re curious how urushi techniques actually look between the polished, finished photos — this video is for you.
Chapters:
00:00 Revealing the beauty
00:28 When urushi pens look boring
01:15 From raw ebonite to nakanuri
03:41 Structure, color, and metal layers
05:23 Preparing for the reveal
05:54 When tame-nuri fails
07:18 Sanding as the final art
Handmade urushi fountain pens
Tamenuri Studio
📸 Instagram: @tamenuri_studio
🌐 Website: https://tamenuri.com