ORIENTAL LACQUERS.7.BOTANY AND CHEMISTRY OF JAPANESE LACQUER AND THE BEAUTY OF THE FINAL ART OBJECTS

Japanese lacquer originates from the sap of Toxicodendorn vernicifluum (synonymous with Rhus verniciflua),the lacquer tree,a species variety of Anacadiaceae.The botanical reationship between the species Anacardiceae and their cxudates,especially the poisonous exudates,to which the lacquer tree belongs,is briefly discussed.The individual chemical compounds which constitute the active ingredients of urushi and their function are described based on space filling molecular models.