Japanese Lacquer. 247 
amount was made to supply the demand; but as one of the 
essential elements for good lacquer is time, it was obviously im- 
possible for commercial purposes to fulfil this condition. The 
evil effect soon became manifest, for as the knowledge of fine 
lacquer spread and examples of old work came to hand, this 
inferior but often very showy modern work was discredited. 
Men like Zeshin, who died as recently as 1891, have proved that 
fine lacquer work can still be produced, but the majority of the 
fine pieces of to-day are distinctly inferior to the best of the old 
work. Although properly belonging to the decoration of lacquer, 
I must at this point draw your attention to the varieties of 
lacquer. They are very numerous, but I need only speak of the 
principal ones. The kind most in evidence is nashiji, or avan- 
turine lacquer, so called from its resemblance to avanturine 
Venetian glass; the Japanese word ‘‘nashiji” signifies pear- 
rind (this fruit in Japan resembles our golden-russet apple). 
Nashiji is freely employed in the interior of boxes, cabinets, &c. 
In such cases no decoration is, as a rule, added ; but in exterior 
work it is very unusual to find a surface, unless it is the bottom 
of a box, without added ornament; sometimes a mottled or 
clouded appearance is given toit. Nashiji is composed of gold, 
silver, or baser metals, but the powders vary in fineness. All 
these variations have their distinguishing names. These pow- 
ders may be lightly sprinkled on or laid on thickly, assuming, as 
the French say, a crushed barley-sugar appearance. Fine old 
nashiji, in which gold in liberal quantities was employed, is 
justly prized. Much modern work is prepared from tin, to 
which some pigment, such as gamboge, is added to give it the 
appearance of gold. After the metal has been laid on it is 
covered with coatings of transparent lacquer, which in fine 
pieces may amount to a dozen. 
Three other kinds of lacquer demand attention, viz. togidashi, 
hira makiyé, and taka makiyé. These, with nashiji, which is 
really a variety of togidashi, practically cover the whole field. 
They are frequently combined in one piece. Roughly speaking 
they may be distinguished as follows:—Togidashi is lacquer 
with a perfectly smooth polished surface, the designs not pro- 
_jecting above the groundwork; hira makiyé is lacquer where 
the designs are in low relief; taka makiyé is lacquer where the 
designs are in bold relief. It is difficult to draw the line between 
4 the two latter; pieces in which togidashi is alone employed are 
frequently found, and among them are included some of the 
finest specimens of Japanese art; hira makiyé is seldom used 
_ alone, but is more generally accompanied by either togidashi, 
taka makiyé, or both ; taka makiyé is seldom, if ever, found 
alone. 
The oldest lacquer which the ordinary collector may expect to 
