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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Japan black

Japan \Ja*pan"\, a. Of or pertaining to Japan, or to the lacquered work of that country; as, Japan ware.

Japan allspice (Bot.), a spiny shrub from Japan ( Chimonanthus fragrans), related to the Carolina allspice.

Japan black (Chem.), a quickly drying black lacquer or varnish, consisting essentially of asphaltum dissolved in naphtha or turpentine, and used for coating ironwork; -- called also Brunswick black, Japan lacquer, or simply Japan.

Japan camphor, ordinary camphor brought from China or Japan, as distinguished from the rare variety called borneol or Borneo camphor.

Japan clover, or Japan pea (Bot.), a cloverlike plant ( Lespedeza striata) from Eastern Asia, useful for fodder, first noticed in the Southern United States about 1860, but now become very common. During the Civil War it was called variously Yankee clover and Rebel clover.

Japan earth. See Catechu.

Japan ink, a kind of writing ink, of a deep, glossy black when dry.

Japan varnish, a varnish prepared from the milky juice of the Rhus vernix, a small Japanese tree related to the poison sumac.

Wikipedia
Japan black

Japan black (also called simply japan) is a lacquer or varnish suitable for many substrates but known especially for its use on iron and steel. It is so named due to the history of black lacquer being associated in the West with products from Japan. Its high bitumen content provides a protective finish that is durable and dries quickly. This allowed japan black to be used extensively in the production of automobiles in the early 20th century in the United States. It can also be called japan lacquer and Brunswick black. Used as a verb, japan means "to finish in japan black." Thus japanning and japanned are terms describing the process and its products.