makie

Updated: May 31, 2025

Vermilion lacquer was invented in the time of Temmu, and soon five different colours could be produced, while to the Nara artisans belongs the inception of lacquer strewn with makie. Lacquer inlaid with mother-of-pearl was another beautiful concept of the Nara epoch. A special tint of red was obtained with powdered coral, and gold and silver were freely used in leaf or in plates.

F. (Frank) Brinkley - A History of the Japanese People : From the Earliest Times to the End of the Meiji Era