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

Japanese lacquer originates from the sap of Toxicodendron vernicifluum (synonymous with Rhus verniciflua), the lacquer tree, a species of th e poisonous variety of Anacardiaceae. The botanical relationship betwe en the species Anacardiceae and their exudates, especially the poisono us exudates, to which the lacquer tree belongs, is briefly discussed. The individual chemical compounds which constitute the active ingredie nts of urushi and their function are described based on space filling molecular models.