By YASUSHI SATO/ Staff Writer
March 25, 2021 at 07:00 JST
Yusuke Iwahara seated on his “urushi” lacquer-coated Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture (Yasushi Sato)
SHIOJIRI, Nagano Prefecture--When artisan Yusuke Iwahara decided to customize his Harley-Davidson, he didn’t just coat the motorcycle’s fuel tank and handlebars with “urushi” lacquer.
He even applied lacquer to the saddle seat and other leather parts, and ended up with a work of art.
The 42-year-old Iwahara, president of Misola Japan Arts and Crafts, plans to post a video and put his custom motorcycle on public display as a “promotional mascot” of the traditional Kiso lacquerware.
Iwahara learned his artisanal skills under the tutelage of his father from 2008 before founding his own company in 2012. He went on to develop a technique to apply lacquer on leather products while retaining the flexibility of the material.
Wallets and other items from his brand coated in this way have drawn keen attention.
With his company’s sales falling off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Iwahara relied on subsides from the prefectural government for small and midsize businesses to help them create new business opportunities.
Iwahara was granted 3 million yen ($27,600) in subsidies, which he decided to use for a Harley-Davidson--his favorite motorcycle--to promote the lacquering technique.
The U.S.-made motorcycle dates to around 1960. Iwahara started working on the project last November.
The custom model, which is perfectly rideable, was completed in mid-January. Its leather accessories, such as the saddle seat, as well as its fuel tank, handlebars and other parts, were coated with lacquer.
Iwahara is preparing to release a video of the work he did on YouTube around April, and also plans to put the motorcycle on display in the prefecture.
Many lacquerware producers are turning to online retailing because of the pandemic.
“Producers want customers to look at their products and become convinced of their qualities before making a purchase,” Iwahara said. “I hope my project will help promote the Kiso lacquerware production area.”
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