November 13 is “Urushi Day”.
It originates from the legend of Prince Koretaka.

Prince Koretaka was a man of the Heian period.

He was born as the eldest son of Emperor Montoku,
but his younger brother succeeded to the emperor’s throne.

He died at the age of fifty-four after leaving his family
to live in seclusion in Ono-no-sato（northern Kyoto）.

There are many mysteries about
what happened to him after his departure,
and he has left behind many legends,
mainly in the Kinki region.



Map of Koretaka(Japanese)

One particularly interesting story is that of his role
as the ancestor god of Urushi(*).

Prince Koretaka lamented the underdevelopment
of lacquer productionand lacquerware manufacturing methods.

He prayed at
Horinji Temple in Arashiyama, Kyoto,
where the Kokuzo-Bosatsu(*) appeared
and taught Prince Koretaka how to do so.

This was on November 13,
and so that day became “Urushi Day.
　

Also, he is also the god of Rokuro.

In Ogura Valley(*)
in Omi,Shiga Prefecture,
there is a legend that Prince Koretaka taught the people
of his village how to use a Rokuro(*).

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
Explanation of difficult terms
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

＊Urushi
A plant-based paint that has been used in
East Asia since ancient times.

It comes from the Urushinoki(tree).

It is used for lacquering wooden bowls
and for Kintsugi or Makie.

＊Kokuzo-Bosatsu
Akasagarbha (bodhisattva)
God of Knowledge and Memory

＊Ogura Valley
Oku-Eigenji, Shiga prefecture (Kinki area)

＊Rokuro
Technology for carving wood to make rotors.

+‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥+

【うるしの日の由来】

惟喬親王は、平安時代の人で、
文徳天皇の長男として生まれました。

天皇の位は弟が継承したため、
出家して京都北部に隠棲し、
54歳で亡くなりました。

出家後については謎が多く、
近畿地方を中心に多くの伝説を残しています。

特に興味深い話が、漆祖神としての伝承です。

惟喬親王は、
漆の製造や漆器の製造法が未発達なことを嘆き、
京都嵐山の法輪寺で祈願しました。

すると、虚空蔵菩薩が現れて、
惟喬親王にその方法を伝授しました。

その日は11月13日だったため、
「うるしの日」になりました。

また、近江（滋賀県）の小椋谷では、
惟喬親王は里の人々にろくろ
（回転体を削る木工技術）を教えた
という言い伝えが残っています。

Masayo Matsuoi
　 /Hakatashitsugei laboratory