Urushi, an ancient Japanese lacquering technique, is a craft that dates back more than a thousand years. Lacquer is derived from the sap of trees native to Japan. In Japan it is still a revered object. art form. in india There is only one person involved in it.
Vivek Kulkarni (58) is a retired production engineer and IT professional. Pune with no formal training in lacquering or fountain pen making.
After many hectic years of travel and work, he began looking for something to occupy him after retirement.
“Staying productive has always been my main goal,” he emphasizes. The idea, however, came unexpectedly. “As I was looking for what I could make, I remembered that I had used fountain pens since childhood. I thought about starting making fountain pens to keep myself busy after I retired.”
In this case, his engineering background would come in handy as understanding 3D drawings, dimensions and designs came naturally to him. However, Kulkarni had no interest in making ordinary fountain pens. “I wanted to do something distinctive, with a unique selling point that would differentiate my work.”
This craft, which he started learning from scratch in 2018-19, sparked Vivek Kulkarni’s fusion of urushi and fountain pens.
Vivek Kulkarni is a retired production engineer and IT professional in Pune.
Learn without a teacher
But the most discouraging thing would be the isolation of this search. You would be learning an art form with no teacher to teach, no English guides, and a supply chain dependent on materials from Japan. Kulkarni’s family also expressed skepticism over practical issues. “There were some doubts. They also had doubts about sales and profits as the use of fountain pens was declining,” shares Kulkarni.
Story continues below this ad.
When he attempted to begin learning Urushi artwork in 2014-15, he started from scratch, approaching an ancient art in a country unknown to the Urushi tradition. What followed was a six-year education conducted entirely by trial, error, and reverse engineering.
Kulkarni says, “I was studying photographs of Danitrio pens (a popular Japanese brand) and trying to decipher the technique solely from images.”
He hired an artist and together they learned by doing, failing, adjusting minute details, and self-learning. All the books were also in Japanese. The price of this self-taught education was tons of wasted materials and countless hours monitoring environmental conditions.
When the master’s degree finally arrived
However, by 2021, Kulkarni realized that “it could compete with other pen manufacturers in India because it had something unique to offer.” The business, called Urushi Studio India, gained momentum.
Story continues below this ad.
Their pens, adorned with intricate Urushi illustrations, could undercut Japanese competitors by 25 to 30 percent while maintaining superior quality. When she started posting photos on Facebook and Instagram, orders came from all continents.
Kulkarni’s Urushi Studio India has achieved commercial success.
“We received a great response from Europe, America and Asian countries,” he notes. Lawyers, doctors, engineers and pen collectors make up the majority of their customer base. Today, having completed approximately 400 to 500 pens, Kulkarni is ready to build a complete pen. It is currently developing its own proprietary ink, called Niji, named after the Japanese word for “rainbow.” These ink bottles are designed to look like the tips of a pen.
However, behind the commercial success of Kulkarni’s Urushi Studio India, the issue of the upcoming extinction of urushi not only in India but also in its homeland stands out.
“Young people in Japan are not that interested in learning it. Most artists are older.” This has motivated Kulkarni to establish an institute in India, which will be dedicated to the teaching of urushi art, making it one of its kind in India.
Story continues below this ad.
He explains: “If local artists used this lacquer for their art, it would increase the longevity and value of their work. For example, a Warli artwork that sells for Rs 5,000 could sell for Rs 50,000 if made with Urushi.”
The art would survive not only in Japan but would find new expression through Indian artistic traditions. This institution represents cultural preservation.
“My efficiency will decrease with age,” he says sincerely. “If more people learn it, the art will endure. I want to save others the struggle, I went through learning this on my own. I want this knowledge to be easily available. It’s not a commercial venture for me, it’s about giving back to society.”