Also written 魚子, 斜子. Lit. "fish-roe."
1　A pattern of small dots thought to resemble fish-roe, and…

A miniature sculpture that is ties to a portable tiered container *inrō 印籠 worn…

Brocade. A general term for a variety of flat multicolored, woven-pattern fabrics. Recently it suggests silk woven with an…

Bank or climbing kiln. Built on a slope, this efficient type of kiln originated in China and was introduced to Japan from…

*Noh 能 costumes. Also called nō-ishō 能衣装. Cloth articles worn in Noh…

Also written 佐波理. An alloy of copper containing less than ten percent tin, lead and zinc and of a pale yellowish color. It…

Sanage 猿投 kilns. A group of old kilns in an area stretching from the western area of modern Nagoya 名古屋 city to the northern…

Satsuma 薩摩 ware. A general name for pottery and porcelain made in Satsuma and Ōsumi 大隅 in Shimazu 島津 fief (modern Kagoshima…

Seto 瀬戸 ware. Pottery made in Seto city and nearby areas of modern Aichi Prefecture. The Seto area was the center of pottery…

Reliquary. A container for the bones of the Buddha *shari 舎利 placed in a stupa or pagoda. In…

Tie dye. A name for a resist-dyeing technique and the fabric made by it. Shibori 絞 designates a huge variety of…

Shigaraki 信楽 ware. Sueki 須恵器 ware was made in this clay-rich area from early times, but a distinctive ware fired in…

Ch: si'erhu. A jar with four lug handles (loop ears) around the mouth or neck of the jar, the handles may be round…

Shino 志野 ware. One of the best known of the Mino wares *minoyaki 美濃焼, first…

Lacquered leather. Untanned skins of cow, wild pig or deer are softened by soaking, wrapped around a mold to dry in the sun…

A satin textile woven with colored woofs to form a pattern, originating in Ming China. As more than seven colors were used,…

Blue-and-white ware. A white pottery with indigo patterns. On the surface of white pottery, mainly porcelain, designs are…

Openwork. A method of decoration in which a design is cut out of a plain surface. While sukashibori refers to…

Rubbed metal foil. A decorative technique for textiles in which metal foil is impressed on a design first drawn in paste.…