Fallen Moon 1

Kofushiwaki created this work by first making a cardboard mold, which he then covered in a thin layer of plaster. After the cardboard had softened from the moisture in the plaster, he worked it into the approximate desired shape; once that had hardened, he applied pieces of hemp cloth soaked in lacquer in two to three overlapping layers (kanshitsu). After everything had hardened, he removed and discarded the cardboard mold and continued with the kanshitsu technique, adding more layers of lacquer-soaked hemp cloth on all sides. He achieved the irregular surface by bending, twisting, or cutting away segments of the form, and then sanded the final form to achieve the dustiness of the finished surface.