368 ART INDUSTRY AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS. 



I. Nashi-ji, pear ground (see p. 352). This designation is gene- 

 rally understood to mean a ground of black lacquer on which 

 coarse or fine gold dust is evenly strewn, and then varnished over 

 with a transparent lacquer. We have here to treat of Nashi-ji in 

 its first original meaning. The black groundwork, according to 

 the quantity of gold dust scattered over it, either predominates or 

 is more covered, indeed in the most valuable Nashi-ji disappears 

 entirely. Its appearance then resembles in its fresh condition, 

 Aventurine, so that Wagener's des'ignation " Aventurine lacquer " 

 [Dingl. Polytechn, Journ.^ 1875, p. 366), appears very suitable. 

 Plate VI. Fig. ^, gives a sample in bronze. The original of this 

 made from the powder of ducat-gold shows this colour only when 

 fresh, but becomes much yellower and more lustrous with time. 

 The production of Nashi-ji is simple. The moderately fine gold 

 dust is strewn on the coating of Shita-makiye-urushi with a little 

 hand sieve, usually similar to that mentioned in No. 4 of our list 

 of implements used in lacquer work. After it is dry, the dust that 

 does not adhere, is carefully swept away, and then a coat of Nashi- 

 ji-urushi is given, which commonly takes from 6 to 7 days to dry. 

 Then comes the usual rubbing with magnolia charcoal and water, 

 and afterwards polishing. Both operations manifestly require great 

 care and skill. 



Nashi-ji is one of the most frequent and popular modes of sur- 

 face decoration. The fine particles of gold dust and foil have 

 at first a brownish yellow colour, but always with age become 

 brighter and more brilliant, because of the greater transparency of 

 the lacquer varnish, so that one can judge of the age and quality of 

 the lacquered articles by the evenness, fineness, and colouring of 

 the coating. In many of these older gold lacquer wares, as bowls 

 and boxes of various kinds, the inside is covered also very care- 

 fully with Nashi-ji of the best kind. The work is as ancient as 

 ornamentation with mother-of-pearl. Both may be traced back 

 to the end of the eighth century, to the time when the Emperor 

 Kuwammu-Tenno made the city of Tokio the permanent resi- 

 dence of himself and his successors. The Nashi-ji, which is an 

 imitation in ordinary lacquer ware with tin and bronze, has already 

 been described. 



2. Kin-ji, "Gold ground." The groundwork which is to be 

 ornamented in this particular way is first given a coat of thin 

 Shita-makiye-urushi, and then quickly and evenly strewn with a 

 fine gold powder (No. 7, or some other on the list) by means of a 

 sieve, till .entirely covered. After drying and brushing off the non- 

 adhering particles, comes a coat of Nashi-ji-urushi, then another 

 drying, rubbing with magnolia charcoal, and a thorough polishing, 

 in which Yoshino-urushi, or Se-shime, hartshorn, and other sub- 

 stances are used to produce a perfectly even, mirror-like gold 

 surface. Kin-ji, like Nashi-ji, also grows lighter and brighter" 

 with increasing age, while its imitations with tin dust or bronze, 



