Instead of tracing the design in roasted lacquer, it is done with a mixture of powdered Tono-ko add water, and the impression is transferred to the articles with the whalebone spatula as before. The reason for only using Tono-ko instead of lacquer is that the ground - work being inferior, it cannot be ground or smoothed afterwards, and the edges of the pattern would not be clean, nor stand out clear, should any lacquer get smeared outside the tracing - line. The outline is then filled in with Shitamaki - nobe lacquer with a coarse hares' - hair brush, and the article is set to dry for 20 minutes, or till a thin skin has formed on the lacquer, and then the half - dry surface is wiped oyer with cotton - wool charged with Keshi - fiin, the finest gold - powder, and set to dry for 5 or 6 hours. The whole surface is then smeared with Yoshino - nobe lacquer, which is carefully wiped off again with soft paper, and the article is set to dry for 1/2 day. The surface is then rubbed over gently with deer's - horn ashes and soft paper, to give it a polish, and to get rid of any of the last coat of Yoshino-nobe lacquer.

The fine lines are now drawn with a fine hare's-hair brush charged with Shitamaki - nobe lacquer, and the article is set to dry for 20 minutes or so; then Keshi - fun is applied with cotton - wool, and again set to dry for 5 or 6 hours. No further process takes place.

(C) Taki - Makiye (Raised Gold Lacquer)

The ground - work may be either black or coloured lacquer, Nashiji (pear basis of gold - dust), or the plain wood. The outlines of the pattern are transferred to the surface of the article in the same manner as in Togi - dashi, or "flat lacquer." The outline is then painted over with Shitamaki lacquer, and this is covered with powdered camellia - charcoal. If the outside is to be higher than the inside, a broad margin is painted and covered - with charcoal powder, leaving the centre untouched, and vice versa; if the centre is to be higher, a faint line only is painted outside, and the inside is given a thickish coating, which is sprinkled with the charcoal - dust, and the article is set to dry for 12 hours. When taken out of the press, it is well dusted to get rid of any loose charcoal - powder, and is also washed, using a brush made of human hair (Hake) to clean out all the crevices and bring out the lines, etc. Some Yoshino - nobe, or "branch lacquer," with camphor, is now rubbed on with a piece of cotton - wool, and carefully wiped off with soft paper, and the article is set to dry for 12 hours.

The raised parts are next carefully ground smooth with a piece of Magnolia charcoal, and a second coat of Yoshino - nobe, or of "branch lacquer," is applied as before, and dried.

If a well - raised pattern is required, 1, 2, or even 3 coats of Sabi (" branch lacquer " and Tono - ko) are applied, the outside edges being painted with a brush of deer's hair (Menso), and the inside lacquer applied with a small Sabi spatula, the article being set to dry after each application for 12 hours. For coarser work, it is then ground smooth with a white whetstone, and for finer work with a yellow whetstone. Over this some "branch lacquer," mixed with camphor, is rubbed with cotton - wool and wiped off with soft paper, and the article is set to dry for 12 hours.

If the pattern is not to be very high, the operations described in the last paragraph are omitted. A coating of Taka - maki lacquer is now given, the outside edges being carefully drawn with a rats' - hair brush, and the inside of the pattern filled in with a hares' - hair brush, and the article is set to dry for 36 to 48 hours. When taken out of the press, the surface is ground smooth with Magnolia charcoal, and then partly polished with camellia - charcoal on a cotton cloth. A little oil is now rubbed on, and a further polishing takes place with powdered "whetstone" on a cloth. Next, " branch lacquer " is rubbed over the raised parts with cotton - wool and wiped off with soft paper, and the article is set to dry for 12 hours. It is next polished with deer's- horn ashes and a little rape - seed or sesamum oil applied on the point of the finger Up to this point the formation of the pattern whether mountains, waves, trees, men, birds, or animals, has been gradually completed.

If small squares of gold - foil (known as Kiri kane), or of coloured shell, are used in producing the pattern, they are now applied one by one on the point of a bamboo stick (Hirame fude), the spot where they are to be affixed having been smeared with a little Rose lacquer to make them adhere. When all that is required has been affixed, a piece of soft bibulous paper is spread over the freshly done parts and pressed very carefully with the finger. This is to get rid of as much as possible of the Rose lacquer that is not covered by the gold squares; the article is set to dry for 12 hours, and then the portion where the gold has been applied is gently polished with a little camellia - charcoal on the point of the finger, to get rid of the remainder of the Ro-se lacquer. Shell patterns, and the coarser kinds of gold - dust that may be required, are applied in the same manner. The finer kinds of gold - dust are applied next over a coat of Shitamaki lacquer, and the article is set to dry for 12 hours.

The remaining processes of polishing, drying, etc, are the ' same as in first - class "flat gold" lacquer.

For making raised - lacquer patterns on plain wood the whole .surface is covered with tin - foil, stuck on with rice - paste, to keep the wood quite clean, and then the place only where the pattern is to come is cut out. In making all high - class lacquer, the edges of every article are pasted over with tin - foil to prevent their being rubbed or injured by the workman, and the same' is done over each portion as it is finished. • The above is the ordinary method of making best raised lacquer, but from a glance at specimens it will be seen that there are such innumerable modifications of one process or another, according to the object to be produced, that it is manifestly impossible to do more than give the above cursory sketch. Nearly every piece of good lacquer made exit hibits a specimen of each kind, viz., Nashiji, Toga - daski, Hira-makiye, and Taka-makiye.