Urushi, or shikki, are both words used in different regions of Japan to describe lacquer ware, widely known for its smooth surface, rich colors and intricate surface decorations. The origins of indigenous lacquer craft in Japan have been lost in the mist of Japanese prehistory, although lacquered wooden and ceramic objects from the Jomon era have been found throughout the Tohoku region, dating as early as 8000 B.C. While domestic and decorative lacquer objects can now be found throughout Asia, Japanese lacquer has become world famous for its distinctive and varied qualities of beauty and usefulness, as well as for its cost. Under the strong influence of China's Tang Dynasty during the formative years of Japanese culture, Chinese lacquer objects were highly prized, as were those distinctive lacquers with mother-of-pearl inlay from Korea. Japanese lacquer centers evolved to replicate these lacquers from the Continent. As the aristocratic taste spread to far regional areas from the Imperial city of Kyoto, so, too, did the craftsmen and their traditions. Following the construction of Hirosaki Castle in the early 17th century, and under the patronage of the powerful leader of the Tsugaru clan, Tsugaru Nobumasa, lacquer craftsmen, among many other skilled craftsmen, were imported from the new Imperial city of Edo, establishing the Tsugaru lacquer tradition. Perhaps because lacquer was initially employed in the making and decoration of swords and sword fittings, from its beginning, Tsugaru lacquer was known for its durability and strength of form. Today, it is not uncommon for Tsugaru lacquer to contain as many as 40 different layers. It is, however, most famous for its great range of decorative styles, including kara-nuri, a Chinese-influenced marbleized surface treatment composed of varying layers of colored lacquer which are rubbed away in an irregular pattern to expose all of the colors. Most unique, however, are patterns created out of the resourcefulness of the local agrarian way of life - a resourcefulness for which Tohoku is famous. These are patterns created by the application onto wet lacquer of dried rape seed, tobacco, or burned rice husks, which, when rubbed away reveal intricate, delicate surface patterns unique to Tsugaru lacquer. The base material of lacquer is the sap (urushi in Japanese) from a member of the sumac family of trees, found in various parts of Asia. An urushi tree must be between 8 to 13 years old before it is mature enough to produce its maximum capacity of only one cup of sap, which is collected from slashes in the tree surface, an action that kills the tree, which must be cut down. Although Japanese urushi is considered the highest quality, this scarcity of domestic urushi has resulted in the necessity for Japan to import more than 90% of urushi used in the country from China and elsewhere in Asia. This, and the time-consuming, labor-intensive process of making lacquer products explains the costliness of modern Japanese lacquer ware. The great number of repeated applications of urushi, and the subsequent drying, burnishing and surface treatments of a single piece can require a minimum of two months, up to more than two years. Contemporary artists like Yuji Kubo from the Tsugaru region take great pride in their efforts to preserve the fame and integrity of their traditional lacquer as well as in their innovative efforts to synthesize tradition with new colors and patterns that reflect contemporary aesthetics and which meet modern domestic needs.