LACQUER WORK. 355 



lacquering are crushed on a board or the cover of the Jo-ban, and 

 then mixed thoroughly into the lacquer with the spatula. This 

 also takes the place of the pestle in the pulverizing mortar. With 

 it is carried the cement and jelly-like materials for the groundwork, 

 the brush taking up all the lacquer varnishes. 



In the delicate final work, several different Fude or round 

 brushes (IV. 6-1 1) are used, made from rat, rabbit and deer hair, in 

 bamboo handles with bamboo protectors, as some of the illustra- 

 tions show, which can be pushed down over the brush when it has 

 been cleaned after using. The Fude-tate is a brush carrier, for the 

 preservation of the foregoing (Fig. 2). For laying on the fine 

 jelly-like colours, a little palette of tortoise-shell or buffalo-horn, 

 called Tsuno-ban (III. 8), is used, being pushed over the thumb of 

 the left hand. Several little Nashi-ji-tsutsu, dust sieves, or Tsutsu- 

 furui, pipe-sieves, are used, according to the size of the surface, 

 freshly painted with lacquer, which is to be strewn evenly with 

 some kind of powder. These are made by cutting quills or bamboo 

 canes diagonally across, and pasting a porous fabric of silk or 

 other stuff over the openings. See Plate IV. Fig. i. A small 

 stick with a Tai-ki or little fish-tooth (from Serranus marginalis, 

 the Tai) on the end is shown by Plate IV. Fig. 2, and used for 

 polishing bent corners and other furrows into which the sharpened 

 charcoal will not reach. Plate IV. Fig. 3 shows a Yanagi-yoji 

 or willow-wood brush, universally used by the Japanese as a 

 tooth-brush. It serves to brush away superfluous powder, while 

 the pointed end of the handle, or a specially pointed stick, as the 

 Hirame-fude, is used for picking up and laying on of gold foil or 

 mother-of-pearl leaves on the fresh layer of lacquer. Kebo (IV. 5) 

 is the long-haired brush of deer or horse-hair which is used to 

 brush off any dust that may have settled on the lacquered article. 

 Plate III. Fig. 9, represents the Saji, or spoon used to put the gold 

 and silver dust into the pipe sieve. The back can be used also 

 instead of a spatula for laying single layers of groundwork on 

 concave surfaces. 



Wood (Ki) stands first among the materials from which articles 

 to be lacquered are made. Wood of the pine tribe is used chiefly, 

 and Hino-ki, or the wood of Retinispora obtusa, is considered far 

 the best, as it is white, free from knots, and not very resinous. 

 Sawara {Retinispora pisifera), and Hiba [Thujopsis dolabrata) 

 stand second, and then follow firs, pines, and cryptomeria. The 

 wood of the H6-no-ki [Magnolia hypoleuca) excels in fineness of 

 grain and elasticity. The thin side-walls of the popular light 

 oval bread-baskets, for example, made principally in Shidzuoka 

 and Niigata, are of this wood. The light wood of the Kiri, too 

 [Paulozvnia imperialis), is much used for lacquer wares. The wood 

 of several other foliaceous trees distinguished for toughness and 

 firmness, like Keyaki (Zelkowa Keaki), Sakura [Pruims psendo- 

 cerasns) and Buna [Fagiis Sieboldi) are turned by the lathe into 



