Lacquer
A hard, glossy coating; in East Asia, the sap of the lacquer tree, usually coloured black or red.
Also: urushi, lacquerware
East Asian lacquer is the sap of a tree related to poison ivy. Brushed in many thin coats onto wood, each left to harden in damp air, it forms a tough, waterproof, glossy skin. It is naturally brownish and is coloured black with iron or soot and red with cinnabar or iron oxide, the classic pair of Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese lacquerware. In South Asia, lacquered goods such as Channapatna toys use a different material, the resin of the lac insect. In modern use, lacquer can mean any fast-drying glossy finish.