The author reviews various processes used by the Japanese for gilding bronze statues. Three processes were commonly used; (1) Fire gilding, using a gold-mercury amalgam in proportions 1 gold to 5 or 6 mercury. (2) Fire gilding by rubbing the surface with mercury and laying gold leaf onto it. (3) Adhering gold leaf to the statue with a thin layer of lacquer. All three processes are described step-by-step and the appearance of the resulting surface is described. A common misreading of the Japanese term kondo, which means gilded and not made from gold and copper, is corrected. The author discusses the composition of the Daibutsu of Todaiji in detail, and ends the article with a general discussion of compositions of ancient bronzes and a bibliography. -- AATA