THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF MAKI-E
  
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(2) Han Maru-fun Hira Maki-e

Han Maru-fun is just a slightly larger powder than Hira-fun with a semi-round shape. A soft hair brush is used to sprinkle this fine size type of powders. The whole process is similar to Hira-fun, but it can be polished harder than Hira-fun Hira Maki-e because of its large sized powders.

Standard Samples: We do not use Han Maru-fun for Maki-e either because it is too thin to be burnished and therefore, we regret we have no samples to fit this category.

(3) Maru-fun Hira Maki-e

Maru-fun round filed powders have different sizes from the smallest #1 to #20 or larger. Maki-e which use this Maru-fun was finally called Hon Maki-e (standard Maki-e) in the Kamakura era. All these different sizes of round gold or silver powders are used on all different occasions. #5 size or smaller powders are sprinkled with a soft hair brush, while tubes are used to sprinkle #6 or heavier powders. All these powders are heavy enough for burnishing repeatedly.

Standard Samples:
N-160, Ancient Design of Flowers and Birds. After the base was done with Tame-nuri Roiro-migaki, the design was drawn with a special stickier Urushi and gold powder (#5 & #7) was sprinkled onto it. Raden was also made on a few places and finished by repeated burnishing. MSRP $1,100.00

N-160

N-162, Sakura & Stream. The base was finished with black Urushi Roiro-migaki. Design was drawn and sprinkled with gold powder as the above one. Uwa-nuri (added drawing on design) on the leaves and Sakura with Raden. The white part is set with quail's eggshell. MSRP $1,100.00

N-162

(4) Uwa Togidashi Hira Maki-e

Uwa Togidashi Hira Maki-e is Hira Maki-e with some part or parts done with Togidashi Maki-e.

Standard Sample: DE-105 Nami Chidori (Plovers flying on the waves) This design was drawn and gold powder was sprinkled onto it, while the waves were finished with Togidashi. MSRP $1,300.00

DE-105

There are so many different polishing steps between the repeating of Urushi paintings and dryings from the rough polishing to the very fine hand polishing before the Maki-e is completed. Charcoal is used to smoothen the surface and some other charcoal is used for polishing on the powder sprinkled part where needed to polish to shine the surface.

These charcoals from different woods are used for polishing on different occasions.

1.
Hooh-sumi (Hooh charcoal from a magnolia wood) is for a rough polish on the base to smooth the
 
surface.
2.
Suruga-sumi (or Shizuoka-sumi from a paulownia wood), softer than Hooh-sumi, is used during the
 
Interim and Final steps for finer polishing.
3.
Roiro-sumi (from a crape myrtle or a lettuce wood) a soft fine size used to fine polish after the
 
surface was polished with the above Suruga-sumi.
4.
Tsubaki-sumi (from camellia wood) used for polishing on the surface where gold powder was
 
sprinkled.

Whether it is a flat surface or a curved surface, Togidashi Maki-e has to be done on the surface, which must be perfectly clean and smooth. The surface has to be rubbed with Urushi leaving no pores or blurs before Togidashi Maki-e work can start. The Okime, Ji-nuri, Fun-maki, and Fun-katame are done first as the Hira Maki-e. However, Maki-tsume may be done while the Fun-maki was done and may need to be done a second time with more powder to Fun-maki to make the surface covered with thick powders.