Lacquer (urushi) has long been used as a natural adhesive and sealant for items such as bowls and boxes. Ukai first studied lacquer at university. His works focus on the spontaneous forms that arise through repeated iterations of lacquering and burnishing. His work for this exhibition is his largest to date. The wood for the piece was cut from a fallen tree that Ukai found within the Natadera Temple precincts. The finished work breathes new life into the fallen tree, which would have otherwise been disposed of as a dangerous obstruction on the temple grounds.