| Research Abstract |
Makie techniques is the decoration of the urushi surface with sprinkled gold, silver or other metal filings and pigment powders. These tradititinal urushi techniques are very famous in japan. The number of makie urushi objects from the site of Edo period (early 17th centuries 〜 middle 19th centuries) being conserved and stored is increasing these days. A lot of excavated makie urushi objects were very weak, so conservatin treatment and storage of these appear to be more difficult than that of other excavated wooden objects. This study discusses the scientific investigation of the many excavated makie urushi objects, and deciphered a series of old manuscripts related makie techniques in the Edo period. The results obtained are as follows. (1) Gold, silver and tin were confirmed as makie powders in the samples, and urushi mixed with Orpiment pigment were confirmed as makie powders in the samples, and urushi mixed with Orpiment pigment were confirmed as imitate makie in the samples. (2) Few excavated makie urushi objects used to Gold makie powder, and many objects used to gold- silver alloy, silver, tin makie powder and urushi mixed with Orpiment pigment. During Edo period, gold makie powder generally used in the early Edo period, Orpiment used generally in the first 〜 middle Edo period, silver used generally in the middle 〜 later Edo period, and tin used generally in the latter 〜 last Edo period. (3) Excavated makie urushi objects with gold or gold- silver alloy were generally composed of Zelkova serrate (wooden body), mixture of Ki- Urushi and clay powder (ground coating), vermillion: HgS (red colored urushi layer) and repeat many times urushi layer. These were high quality. Makie with silver, tin and Orpiment were generally composed of Aesculus turbinate or Fagus crenata (wooden body) mixture of persimmon tannin and charcoal powder (ground coating), Bengara: Fe2○3 (red colored urushi layer) and simple urushi layer. There ware mass production quality
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