An Inquiry Into The Characteristics And Factors Of Ryukyu Lacquerware Craft

The Ryukyu kingdom is located between the Taiwan island of China and the Kyushu island of Japan.Surrounded by the sea,its overseas trade is prevalent for the special geographical location.Meanwhile,as a trading transfer station for the East Asia and the Southeast Asia,it is known as "The Bridges among Nations".In the Hongwu 5th years(AD 1372)of Ming Dynasty,the Ryukyu became a vassal state to China,thus they have engaged in a close relationship for five hundred years.The Ryukyuan lacquerware is one of the important tributes that Ryukyuan pays tribute to China during Ryukyu dynasty period,and it is worldwide famous for its unique and exquisite making technics.It is also one of the most representative manual skills of Okinawa.The manufacturing process of Ryukyuan lacquerware has not been fixed after its production.Its fabrication direction has been adjusted with the political and economic changes of the Ryukyu dynasty to present several stage characteristics similar to the historical route of the kingdom.This paper focuses on the characteristics of Ryukyuan lacquer arts and the cause of its development.Firstly,the origin of Ryukyuan lacquer arts is analyzed briefly by applying the method of combining literature analysis with field work in this paper.Secondly,the development history of lacquer arts which can be divided into the great deal period,recent Ryukyu period,modern Ryukyu period,contemporary Ryukyu period according to important historical events of Ryukyu is introduced to conduct analysis towards the various characteristics of lacquer arts during each period.On this basis,combined with the political,economic,social status of Ryukyu,the factors affecting the Ryukyuan lacquer arts and the performance of being affected are analyzed thoroughly from the perspectives of China,Japan,South Korea and Southeast Asian nations to clarify the specific lacquer art pattern and producing and changing reasons of techniques.Meanwhile,the development situation of Ryukyuan lacquer arts and the problems existing in the implementation of the Ryukyuan lacquer arts recovery plan are analyzed briefly.