Raden
Japanese decorative craft / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Raden (螺鈿) is a Japanese term[1] for one of the decorative techniques used in traditional crafts and woodwork. It refers to a method of inserting nacre into a carved surface of lacquer or wood.[1] The kanji for ra (螺) means 'shell' and den (鈿) means 'inlaid'. Raden is a term used only for the technique or work of inlaying thin layers of pearl shells. In Japan, the technique of embedding the mother of pearl of shellfish in lacquer is called raden, while the technique of embedding metal or ivory is called zōgan (象嵌).
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The basic technique of raden originated in Egypt around 3500 BC, and the technique spread along the Mediterranean coast.[2][3] There is a theory that the technique of raden in the East was introduced from Persia in the Sasanian dynasty to China, and another theory that it started in the Yin dynasty, and the former theory is now widely accepted.[2] By the Tang dynasty, Chinese luodian craftsmanship had reached a very mature level, especially lacquer-backed luodian on bronze mirrors, which was a treasure of craftsmanship in this period. Bronze mirrors with luodian lacquer backs have been excavated from Tang tombs in Shanxian County and Luoyang, Henan Province.
The basic technique of raden was introduced into Japan during the Nara period from the Tang dynasty. In Japan, raden had been used in combination with Japanese various maki-e techniques[4] since the Heian period, but raden declined in the Muromachi period.[1] From the Sengoku period to the Azuchi-Momoyama period, many Japanese lacquerware decorated with maki-e and raden attracted European people, and were exported through the Nanban trade via Portuguese and Spanish in response to the request of the Society of Jesus.[5] In the Edo period, many pieces of Japanese lacquerware were exported to royalty and nobility in Europe through Dutch East India Company and private traders. The lacquerware exported during the Edo period put more emphasis on artistic expression by maki-e using gold powder lavishly than raden. In the 19th century, Japanese lacquerware with raden were exported again.[6]
The term may also be used for similar traditional work from Korea or countries in South-East Asia such as Vietnam, or for modern work done in the West.