蒔絵

• Reading: まきえ
• Romaji: makie
• Kanji breakdown: 蒔 (ma/ji) — sow, scatter, sprinkle; 絵 (e/kai) — picture, painting, drawing
• Pronunciation: /ma.ki.e/

Meaning

Maki-e; a Japanese lacquerware decorative technique in which gold, silver, or other metallic powders are sprinkled onto wet lacquer to create designs.

One of Japan's most celebrated craft traditions, maki-e has been practised since the Nara period and reached its artistic zenith in the Heian and Edo eras. Major techniques include 平蒔絵 (hira maki-e, flat), 研出蒔絵 (togidashi maki-e, burnished), and 高蒔絵 (taka maki-e, raised relief). Maki-e objects — lacquered boxes, sword fittings, writing implements — were prized aristocratic and samurai possessions and are now exhibited in major museums worldwide.

Examples

1. 桐箱に施された金の蒔絵が、江戸時代の職人技の粋を今に伝えている。 The gold maki-e applied to the paulownia box continues to convey the finest craftsmanship of the Edo period to the present day.
2. 蒔絵の技法は奈良時代に始まり、平安時代に貴族文化の中で大きく発展した。 The maki-e technique began in the Nara period and developed greatly within aristocratic culture during the Heian period.
3. 美術館に展示された蒔絵硯箱の精緻な文様は、訪れる人々を圧倒した。 The intricate patterns of the maki-e inkstone box on display at the museum overwhelmed all who came to see it.

Usage Guide

Context: traditional crafts, lacquerware, cultural heritage, museum, art history

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 蒔く (maku, to sow/scatter/sprinkle) and 絵 (e, picture/painting). The name describes the defining action of the technique: scattering (蒔く) metallic powder over a wet-lacquer design to create a pictorial effect (絵).

Cultural Context

Era: Nara–Edo

Generation: All ages

Social background: General