374 ^RT INDUSTRY AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS 



portions of the not very reliable history of Japan, that this branch 

 of industry was little known during the first six hundred years. 

 And as the Japanese owe all their other art industries to China 

 and Corea, we may be safe in concluding that the lacquer art also, 

 and probably the lacquer-tree with it, became known to the Japanese 

 from their western neighbours just after the commencement of the 

 third century, or, after their first expedition to Corea. 



Undoubtedly, lacquer as a protective and an ornamental covering 

 of a variety of materials and articles did not attain great importance 

 before the middle of the 7th century. Kotoku-Tenno, the 36th 

 Mikado (645 to 654 A.D.) was the first to have the paper Kamuri, 

 the peculiar ceremonial head covering of former times, covered 

 with black lacquer. The ordinance also of a somewhat later time, 

 which allowed those provinces in which lacquer industry prevailed 

 to pay their taxes to the State in the form of lacquer wares, must 

 be regarded as substantial encouragement to the further develop- 

 ment and extension of the industry. The articles at that time 

 were probably all lacquered in simple black, as is the case with the 

 two oldest lacquered articles known, those preserved in the Todaiji 

 temple at Nara. One of these, a Kesa-bako or scarf-box, so called 

 because in it are kept the scarfs or sashes which the bonzes wore 

 over their shoulders, belonged formerly to the priest Shotoku Taishi, 

 who lived in the time of Kinmei Tenno (540 to 572 A.D.). The 

 other is a Saya or sword-sheath which is said to have belonged to 

 the Emperor Shomu, and so dates from the first half of the 8th 

 century. Ornamentation of the lacquer coats with gold dust, and 

 inlaying with mother-of-pearl, may be traced back likewise to the 

 8th century. 



With the rising luxury of the court and the Kuges, while the 

 Fujiwara controlled the government, finer lacquer industry was 

 developed in Kioto more and more. The increasing feudal power 

 brought it also to the Daimio seats, but it flourished principally 

 outside of Kioto, in Sakai and Kamakura. It was the custom at 

 Kioto, in the nth and 12th centuries for the court nobles (Kuge) 

 to have the ox-chariots, which they drove by special rights, 

 ornamented with gold lacquer. A new impulse was given to this 

 industry at Kioto in the beginning of the 15th century, when 

 Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the height of his power displayed a 

 hitherto unknown splendour. Nevertheless, until the middle of 

 the century (time of Ashikaga Yoshimasa), the Chinese method 

 was faithfully followed, and all decorations, consisting mainly of 

 the representation of blooming plants, were kept to a plain surface, 

 Hira-makiye. 



Great progress was shown from this time, more freedom was 

 developed in the choice of decorative themes ; landscapes were 

 added to the representation of the varied forms of nature, and were 

 enlivened by a new feature of great importance, viz. the introduc- 

 tion of the Taka-makiye, in raised gold lacquer work. This 



