Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

fundame, hiramaki-e, lacquer, nashiji, netsuke, roiro, takamaki-e

• fundame

  Very fine gold powder densely sprinkled onto wet lacquer, giving a smooth, matt surface.

• hiramaki-e

  (‘flat sprinkled design’) coloured or metal powders sprinkled onto a wet lacquer ground and usually covered with a protective layer of lacquer

• lacquer

  Chinese and Japanese lacquer is made from the sap of the lacquer tree, which is indigenous to Eastern China. It is applied to wood as a varnish or for decorative effect. In India and the Middle East, lacquer is made from the deposit of the lac insect.

• nashiji

  (‘pear skin ground’) tiny, irregularly shaped flakes of gold embedded in amber coloured wet lacquer and then polished to a fine sheen

• netsuke

  The netsuke is a form of toggle that was used to secure personal items suspended on cords from the kimono sash. These items included purses, medicine cases or tobacco paraphernalia.

• roiro

  (‘wax colour’) high quality black lacquer polished to deep gloss

• takamaki-e

  (high relief sprinkled design’) makie technique in which parts of the design are built up with lacquer mixed with charcoal or clay dust