SPECIAL SUBJECTS
In describing the various processes of decorative metal-work for sword furniture, reference was made to sumi-zōgan—or so-called "sepia-inlaying"—which differs from ordinary inlaying in the fact that the decorative design, instead of being produced chiefly by means of gold or silver outlines, is first chiselled in complete form and afterwards bedded in the basic metal, its surface being finally ground down and polished, so as to produce not only perfect intimacy between the metals, but also an effect of high lights. The Japanese understood the value of lights in sculpture of all kinds. Even in deeply incised work like kata-kiri, one of their methods was to use a specially sharp chisel in certain parts of the design so as to convey the effect of polishing. The "sepia-inlaying" is a marked example of this theory, a peculiar glossiness being obtained by the high light of the polished surface, just as the ancient Greeks and Romans used to give to the nude parts of a statue a considerable degree of polish. The most remarkable development of the process is seen in the togi-dashi-zōgan (ground-out inlaying) invented by Kajima Ippu. In this exquisite and ingenious kind of work, the design appears to be growing up from the depths of the metal, and effects are produced which render it scarcely possible to believe that the picture has not been painted with the brush on some peculiarly receptive surface. As to the technique of togi-dashi-zōgan, the metal—generally shibuichi—is first treated as though for nunome damascening, the principal and secondary designs being carefully outlined. It is then passed through the furnace until it assumes a coppery hue, after which the design is overlaid with a thin film of ao-gin (specially prepared
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