市島桜魚／Ichishima Ougyo

市島桜魚（1958〜）は、漆の町である金沢市生まれの漆芸家です。

桜魚は石川県立金沢二水高等学校を卒業後、1977年から人間国宝の大場松魚（1916〜2012）に師事し、漆芸の道を究めていきます。1985年に日本工芸会正会員に認定され、第37回日本伝統工芸展ではNHK会長賞を、第39回日本伝統工芸展では朝日新聞社賞を受賞するなど、めきめきと頭角を現しました。2006年には紫綬褒章を受章しており、その才能と実績が広く認められています。

桜魚の作品は、高度な技術と豊かな感性に裏打ちされた、繊細で優雅な意匠が魅力です。前述のNHK会長賞を受賞した蒔絵小箪笥【秋の野】は、「洗い出し」や「引っかき」といった技法を使い、薄に見え隠れする太陽と月を、情緒たっぷりに描きだしています。朝日新聞社賞の重ね箱【星螢（せいけい）】は檜を素地とした堅牢な作りとなっており、平文（ひょうもん：金、銀、錫などの薄板を文様に切って漆面に貼り、漆で塗り埋めた後で文様部分を研ぎ出す技法）を主体とした市松で構成されています。金色の幾何学文と、金銀平目地（ひらめじ：ヤスリ粉を平たくしたものを、透き漆を塗って研ぎ出したもの）の繊細な引っかき文様の対比、そして面平文と線平文が織りなす強弱の対比が目を引く一品です。そのタイトルの通り、夜空に瞬く星のきらめきが、精緻な文様や動きのある色調によって繊細に表現されています。現在は金沢学院大学芸術学部の教授も務めており、学生たち一人ひとりの才能を育み、個性を輝かせるために尽力しています。

Ougyo Ichishima (1958-) is a lacquer artist born in Kanazawa, a town known for its lacquerware.

After graduating from Kanazawa Nisui High School, Ougyo studied under the Living National Treasure Shōgyo Ōba (1916-2012) from 1977, dedicating himself to the path of lacquer art. In 1985, she was certified as a regular member of the Japan Kogei Association, and she quickly made a name for herself, receiving the NHK Chairman’s Award at the 37th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition and the Asahi Shimbun Award at the 39th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. In 2006, she was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal, recognizing his talent and achievements widely.

Ougyo’s works are attractive for their delicate and elegant designs, backed by advanced techniques and rich sensibilities. Her small chest of drawers with maki-e lacquer titled “Autumn Field” which won the aforementioned NHK Chairman’s Award, uses techniques such as “Ａrai-dashi” (washing out) and “Ｈikkaki” (scratching) to express the sun and moon, which appear faintly and intermittently, with deep emotion. The stacking box titled “Seikei”, which won the Asahi Shimbun Award, is made of sturdy materials with hinoki (Japanese cypress) as its base. It is mainly constructed using the “hiramon” technique (a method of cutting thin plates of gold, silver, tin, etc., into patterns, adhering them to the lacquer surface, and then grinding out the pattern parts after filling them with lacquer), with a checkerboard pattern. The contrast between the geometric patterns in gold and the delicate hikkaki (engraving) patterns in gold and silver hirameji (a technique involving the application of translucent lacquer over powdered whetstone, then polished out) is eye-catching, as well as the contrast between the flat and linear patterns, creating a sense of depth and variation. As the title suggests, the twinkling stars in the night sky are delicately expressed with exquisite patterns and moving colors. Currently, she also serves as a professor at the Faculty of Arts at Kanazawa Gakuin University, where she devotes herself to nurturing the talents of each student and helping them shine with their individuality.