Lacquer octagular box with Tomobako

Lacquerware is a craft in which wood or paper is repeatedly coated with lacquer, which is the sap extracted from the trunk of the Urushi (or poison oak) tree. In a narrow sense, lacquerware refers to "lacquer-coated tableware," but in a broader sense, it includes all items that are coated with lacquer.

When lacquer hardens, it becomes very resistant to acids and alkalis and can last for several thousand years. In fact, there have been cases reported where the wooden base is known to have rotted away completely, but the original lacquer layer has retained its color and quality. Because of this durability, lacquerware pots have been found in excavations dating back to the Jomon period (8000 BC-300 BC).