Local Specialties

During the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573), there was a thriving production of lacquerware in Yamaguchi, as it was an important export in trade with China and Korea conducted by the Ouchi clan, which ruled Yamaguchi at that time. It is characterized by a subdued vermillion lacquer, called Ouchi vermillion, applied in multiple layers to natural wood and then decorated with autumn grass patterns painted in colored lacquers and the diamond-shaped crest of the Ouchi clan in gold leaf. The various products include trays, boxes, and chopsticks. Ouchi-nuri lacquerware is a government-designated Traditional Craft of Japan.