How Japanese nail art is keeping traditional wood lacquer technique alive

A nail technician and lacquer craftsman in central Japan are showcasing their combined talents through nail art that uses a traditional wood lacquerware technique to dazzle audiences at fashion shows and elsewhere.

Hida-shunkei lacquerware was developed in the Hida mountains around Takayama, a popular hot spring city in Gifu prefecture, some 400 years ago, but its future is in doubt as the number of artisans practising it has dramatically fallen in recent years because of a lack of successors to keep the tradition alive.

For Naoko Sato, 48, the nail designer who runs a salon in Takayama and came up with the idea to create nail art using the lacquerware technique, showcasing the lustrous but elegant fake nails on models is her way of promoting its beauty.

In 2022, she produced nail extensions with local cypress wood, for which she consulted Toshihiko Kawahara, 63, a Hida-shunkei lacquerware painter, who agreed to collaborate on the project.

Since Sato must work on chiselling the nails when not tending to her regular job at the salon, she says it takes around three months to complete a set of nail enhancements. The finished product is 9cm (3.5in) long and approximately 3mm to 5mm thick, and decorated with the glossy Shunkei lacquer.