noun
tame-nuri lacquer technique
A traditional Japanese lacquerware technique where a coloured undercoat (often red or black) is covered with a transparent topcoat, creating depth and a rich, subdued gloss. The term is specific to crafts and art contexts.
このお盆は溜塗りで仕上げられています。
This tray is finished with the tame-nuri lacquer technique.
溜塗りの技法は、下地の色が透けて見えるのが特徴です。
The tame-nuri technique is characterized by the undercoat colour showing through.
Variant with okurigana め; less common than 溜塗り.
From 溜め (tame, 'accumulating' or 'pooling', referring to the layered depth of the finish) + 塗り (nuri, 'coating' or 'lacquering'). The exact historical origin of the term is uncertain, but it describes the visual effect of depth created by the layered lacquer.