Urushi-e

Artists such as Nishimura Shigenaga c. 1680s–1750 were also known to use black ink thickened with hide glue to attain a lacquer-like effect on some on his prints.

The ink was mixed with an animal-based glue called nikawa, which thickened it and gave it a lustrous shine, said to resemble lacquer.

Most often, this was used not in creating the entire print, but only in enhancing a particular element, such as an obi or a figure's hair, to give it shine and make the image more luxurious overall.

The technique was most popular in the early 18th century Japan during the Edo era and can be seen in works by many artists of the time.

Until the 19th century, however, the use of natural pigments restricted the colors accessible to artists to red, black, yellow, green, and light brown.