WOOD, IVORY, AND BONE CARVING, ETC. 423 



Furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl is very popular in Turkey, 

 and throughout the entire Orient, but particularly in Further India 

 and China. In Japan it is used mostly for decorating lacquer 

 wares. It is a product of the country, called Ao-gai (Awo-gai), is 

 used in thin sheets, is distinguished by its magnificent iridescence 

 in all the colours of the rainbow, and is obtained mainly from the 

 smooth inside of the larger varieties of Ear-shell {Haliotis japonica. 

 Reeve, H. gigantea, Chemn.), called Awabi. A still more valuable 

 sort goes by the name of Ao-gai-Magai, i.e. imitation Ao-gai. It is 

 formed of laminae scarcely three centimeters broad, and is said to 

 come from the Riu-kiu islands, from a kind of Nautilus. The shell 

 of the Sazaye {Turbo corjiritus, Chemn.) also yields mother-of-pearl. 



The polishing of the mother-of-pearl, as I observed it in Nagasaki, 

 is not scientifically conducted, since there is no facilitation of the 

 work such as is afforded by the heavy grindstone, revolving ver- 

 tically round its axis. The thick, curved outer edge of the Hali- 

 otis shell is first removed up to the row of holes by means of 

 pincers, hammer and chisel ; then the remaining part is ground on 

 a fine grained sandstone, .sprinkled with water, till only a thin 

 transparent lamina remains. It is a very wearisome work, and one 

 man can polish only eighteen pieces in a day. Each sheet costs 

 from 2 to 6 sen, according to the size and fineness. These thin 

 sheets or plates, as well as the mother-of-pearl dust of various de- 

 •:^rees of fineness obtained from the waste, are now used by the 

 Ao-gai-shi or mother-of-pearl workman, for decorating lacquer 

 wares, as has been partly described on pp. 364, 365, the trans- 

 parent laminae are laid on the pattern, and the design or a part of 

 it, is traced through with the India-ink brush. In painting flowers, 

 leaves and other coloured parts, the rubbed colours are laid on the 

 sheets with hot glue-water. When dry, it is coated with a weak 

 solution of glue, and then covered with silver-foil. After again 

 drying, the figures (flowers, leaves, or whatever may be the design) 

 are cut out with a hollow chisel. They are then glued on the 

 coloured side to the lacquered articles, such as cabinets, little 

 chests, plates, vases, etc. The rather rough ground was previously 

 treated with ochre and lampblack. 



When the whole design is completed by gluing on of the many- 

 coloured mother-of-pearl leaves, the interstices are filled up with 

 black lacquer, and in conclusion the whole is varnished with a trans- 

 parent lacquer, and polished, as has been described in treating of 

 other lacquer wares, and the Ao-gai-zaiku or mother-of-pearl work, 

 demanding so much time and patience, is finished. The under 

 layer of silver-foil seems to bring out the figures, for which purpose 

 tin-foil cannot be substituted. 



Besides this Ra-den or Mosaic work with thin sheets of mother- 

 of-pearl, thicker pieces are ground and engraved as a flower, an &g% 

 or some other design, and made to serve, like ivory, as an inlay in 

 raised gold lacquer work. The making of brooches out of this 



