is the

Japanese art Japanese art consists of a wide range of art styles and media that includes Jōmon pottery, ancient pottery, Japanese sculpture, sculpture, Ink wash painting, ink painting and Japanese calligraphy, calligraphy on silk and paper, Ukiyo-e, paint ...

technique and

Japanese craft Traditional in Japan have a long tradition and history. Included in the category of traditional crafts are handicrafts produced by an individual or a group, as well as work produced by independent studio artists working with traditional craft mat ...

of engraving dyed

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

. Bachiru originated in

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, and was introduced to Japan in the 8th century C.E. The ivory pieces to be decorated are first stained with pigment (usually red, green or blue). Ivory does not take colour easily and has to be put through a process of repeated boiling and soaking in dye in order to achieve the appropriate hue. Images are incised on the coloured ivory using a technique known as ''keri-bori'' ("kick engraving"). The stained surface is scraped away to reveal the ivory underneath. Additional detail is then sometimes added in another colour, using a fine paintbrush. The art of ''bachiru'' was largely lost until its rediscovery in the 20th century by Yoshida Fumiyuki (1915-2004). Yoshida was recognised as a Living National Treasure for his work with this art medium.

References

{{Reflist Japanese crafts Japanese art terminology Ivory Engraving