Raden

File:WLA vanda Writing box.jpg

-style writing box, Nagasaki, 1800–1850, wood covered with black lacquer and inlaid with flowers in under-painted mother-of-pearl shell.

File:Tebako (Cosmetic box) Design of wheels-in-stream.jpg

Inlaid paper box with "wheels in flow" () design, National Treasure, Heian period, 11–12th century, Tokyo National Museum

File:Writing Box Yatsuhashi bridge design.jpg

Inlaid writing box with "Eight Bridges" () design, by Ogata Kōrin, National Treasure, Edo period, 18th century. The flowers are abalone shell inlays, Tokyo National Museum

File:Inro Somada school.jpg

, Design of minute patterns in mother-of-pearl inlay, Somada school characterized by a combination of and techniques, Edo period, 19th century, Tokyo National Museum

is a Japanese term for one of the decorative techniques used in traditional crafts and woodwork. It refers to a method of inserting nacre into a carved surface of lacquer or wood. The kanji for means 'shell' and means 'inlaid'. is a term used only for the technique or work of inlaying thin layers of pearl shells. In Japan, the technique of embedding the mother of pearl of shellfish in lacquer is called , while the technique of embedding metal or ivory is called .

The term may also be used for similar traditional work from Korea called (Template:Langx), from China called (Template:Lang-zh), or in countries in South-East Asia such as Vietnam, and for modern work done in the West.

Techniques of production

There are many ways that is produced, with all techniques classed under three main categories: (using thick shell pieces), (using much thinner pieces), and (the thinnest application of shell pieces).

In , the shell is often cut with a scroll saw, then finished with a file or rubstone before application. In , the thinner shell pieces are usually made using a template and a special punch. is fashioned similarly to .

Methods of application are varied. Thick shell pieces may be inlaid into pre-carved settings, while thinner pieces may be pressed into a very thick coating of lacquer, or applied using an adhesive and then lacquered over. Other methods use acid washing and lacquering to produce different effects.

is especially combined with – gold or silver lacquer sprinkled with metal powder as a decoration.

History

The basic technique of originated in Egypt around 3500 BC, and the technique spread along the Mediterranean coast. One theory is that the technique of in the East was introduced from the Sasanian Persia to Tang China, and another theory is that it already existed in the Shang dynasty, though the former theory is more likely. By the Tang dynasty, the technique, known in Chinese as , had reached a very mature level, especially lacquer-backed on bronze mirrors, which was a treasure of craftsmanship in this period. Bronze mirrors with lacquer backs have been excavated from Tang tombs in Shanxian County and Luoyang, Henan Province.

File:A Late Qing Dynasty Glass Snuff Bottle with Abalone Shell Design, Canton, China, c.1860s.jpg

A Late Qing Dynasty Glass Snuff Bottle with Abalone Shell Design, Canton, China, c.1860s

The basic technique of was introduced from the Tang dynasty into Japan during the Nara period, where it is referred to as , using the same Chinese characters. In Japan, had been used in combination with Japanese various techniques since the Heian period, but declined in the Muromachi period.

From the Sengoku period to the Azuchi-Momoyama period, many Japanese lacquerware decorated with and attracted European people, and were exported through the Nanban trade via Portuguese and Spanish in response to the request of the Society of Jesus. was often used in the creation of European-style items, such as chests of drawers and coffee cups, and was very popular in Europe, as the mother-of-pearl covering the items contributed to their status as a unique luxury. The Japanese referred to these goods as " lacquerware", with meaning "Southern Barbarians", a term borrowed from the Chinese and, in 16th century Japan, meaning any foreigner, especially a European.

In the Edo period, many pieces of Japanese lacquerware were exported to royalty and nobility in Europe through Dutch East India Company and private traders. The lacquerware exported during the Edo period put more emphasis on artistic expression by using gold powder lavishly than . Until the 1690s, the Dutch East India Company monopolized the export of Japanese lacquerware throughout Europe, but the lacquerware using technique using a large amount of gold was so expensive that the customers were limited to royalty and nobility, and after 1690, it was exported through private trade.

After the Opening of Japan to foreign trade in the 1850s, work for export markets soon became significant again. The Somada style and Shibayama style lacquerware using the technique became popular and were exported in large quantities from Yokohama to Europe and the United States. Somada ware is a style invented by Somada Kiyosuke in the 1670s, and is characterized by a regular pattern made of a combination of lacquer, finely cut shellfish, gold leaf and silver leaf. Shibayama ware is a style invented by Shibayama Senzo in the 1770s, characterized by the inlay of various materials such as shellfish, gold, silver, ivory, coral, tortoise shell, and ceramics.

The works of a number of famous Edo period craftsmen are still celebrated, namely those of Tōshichi Ikushima, Chōbei Aogai, and the Somada brothers. is widespread in Japan today, and is made for many applications, modern and classic.

See also

• Damascening
• Mother-of-pearl carving in Bethlehem
• Nacre