NASHIJI (“pear skin”) – The name for two frequently used styles developed during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). In one style, large, irregularly shaped gold flakes are sprinkled at different angles into several layers of wet nashiji-urushi, a highly transparent orange-coloured lacquer. Then further layers of lacquer are applied and polished to reveal a surface forming an uneven texture. In the other nashiji style, fine metal dust is sprinkled onto a lacquered surface, which after drying is covered with a layer of transparent lacquer and then gently polished. (JMl)