Chapter 25

Keyblock

The master block in the production of a colored woodblock print, which required different blocks for each other.

Nishiki-e

A multi-colored and ornate Japanese print

Shoin

A rem used to describe the various features found in the most formal room of upper class Japanese residential architecture.

Shoji

A standing Japanese screen covered in translucent rice paper and used in interiors.

Raku

A type of ceramic pottery made by hand, coated with a thick, dark glaze, and fired at a low heat. The resulting vessels are irregularly shaped and glazed, and are highly prized for use in the Japanese tea ceremony.

Polychrome

The multicolored painting decoration applied to any part of a building, sculpture, or piece of furniture.

Lacquer

A type of hard, glossy surface varnish used ob objects in the East Asian cultures, made from the sap of the Asian sumac or from shellac, a resinous secretion from the lac insect.

Bay

A unit of space defined by architectural elements such as columns, piers, and vaults.

Registration Marks

In Japanese woodblock printing, these were two marks carved on the blocks to indicate proper alignment of the paper during the printing process. In multicolored printing, which used a separate block for each color , these marks were essential for achieving the proper position or registration of the colors.

Tatami

Mats of woven straw used in Japanese houses as a floor covering.

Fusuma

Sliding doors covered with paper, used in traditional Japanese construction. Highly decorated with paintings and colors backgrounds.