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British Sign Language (BSL)

Japanese bronze mirror

Mirrors in Asia are usually flat metal disks, polished on one side to allow reflection, and ornamented on the other side. Early Japanese mirrors used a number of designs based on Chinese originals. However, from the Nara period (AD 710–94), Japanese mirror-makers began to substitute native Japanese motifs: for example, plants of good omen such as cherry, blossom and pine replaced auspicious Chinese flowers, and we find cranes instead of phoenixes.

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