Tsugaru lacquer ware is a traditional handicraft that has been handed down for over 300 years. It is famous for its distinctive polychrome pattern created by the technique called kawarinuri (singular lacquering) or sayanuri, which is the lacquer coating with various textures and colors. This technique was originally developed to decorate saya (scabbards) of swords in the Edo period. As there were so many variations in the technique and finished patterns, it was given the name of kawarinuri to distinguish from the conventional techniques. The material used in Tsugaru lacquer ware is the liquid extracted from a varnish tree, which is then purified or blended according to its intended use or technique. There are as many as 48 processes, none of which allow compromise. First the lacquer is applied dozens of times and then the layers of lacquer are burnished down, after which the lacquer is applied again and burnished until the characteristic mottled patterning appears. It usually takes several months to finish one item that deserves the name of “Tsugaru Lacquer Ware.”