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Japan is known for lacquerware, but this does not mean that the history of the craft is exclusively domestic. Opinion differs on whether urushi is indigenous to Japan or has simply been there for a long time, but it and similar trees grow across East and Southeast Asia (Guth 2021, 6). In spite of government-mandated urushi cultivation dating back to the Asuka period (538-710) (Von Ragué 1965, 5), demand has long outstripped supply, and Japanese lacquerware producers have relied on imported urushi for centuries. In addition to this, other countries have had a hand in the stylistic development of lacquerware, in terms of references to the imagery and structure of objects found on the continent, or the direct involvement of immigrant Korean and Chinese craftspeople in introducing certain techniques into Japanese practice (Von Ragué, 19). Nevertheless, these countries in turn have recognised Japanese lacquerware as a distinct and valued commodity (Von Ragué, 35), meaning that it is more than just an imitation of other work.
