Modern Technology Reproduces Ancient Japanese Art Technique

Author:  Fuji Manufacturing
Source:  The Shot Peener magazine, Vol 29, Issue 4, Fall 2015
Doc ID:  2015041
Year of Publication:  2015
Abstract:  
Nashiji is a form of Japanese lacquer work used to create the background of a pattern. The technique is very old—it flourished in the Muromachi period (1338–1573) in Japan. To create nashiji, gold or silver flakes called nashiji-ko are sprinkled onto the surface of the object (excluding the design)on which lacquer has been applied. Nashiji lacquer is then applied and burnished with charcoal, so that the gold or silver can be seen through the lacquer. The name nashiji is thought to have originated because the lacquer finish resembles the skin of a Japanese pear called “nashi.”1