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CHOKIN
The three major techniques used in metalwork are chukin (casting),
tankin (hammering) and chokin (chasing).
Metal engravings from Japan are created by the ancient art of Chokin.
Gilded with gold and silver. The engravings were orginally created to
decorate the armorment of SAMURAI warriors.
The art of Chokin was introduced around the 6th Century
to decorate Shrines and Temples. it was used to decorate
Samurai Amors, Swords, Helmets,etc in the later years.
The technic of chokin art (metal carving)has been achieved .
international recognition and exported abroad.
Today, the art has evolved into an excellent product to match the present life.
CHOKIN (Chasing)
Chokin refers to a variety of decorative techniques such as carving with chisels,
piercing, inlaying of other metals and hammered relief patterning applied to hammered
Photographs (tools)
Chisel being used for hairline (kebori) engraving
Chisels and hammers for uchidashi-zogan (left) and nunome-zogan (right) inlay work
Nunome-zogan = The chisel is held perpendicularly and moved across the surface to
to create an even mesh-like grid.
Chisels and hammers for hammered relief patterning
CATEGORIES OF CHOKIN (CHASING) TECHNIQUE
Keribori (kicking-line engraving) = Use of flat chisels to create series of
triangular marks.
Katakiribori (uneven V-shaped engraving) = Engraving with one edge of the chisel to
to create lines of different thicknesses and depths in imitation of painted brush strokes.
Shishiaibori (sunken relief carving) = Carving with an uneven V-shaped chisel of a
a thick metal ground to create motifs in sunken relief.
CHOKIN
Nanako-uchi, ishime (surface granulation) = Hammering of small granular
indentations into the metal surface to give it texture and added character.
Horikuzushi (carving in the round) = Carving of three-dimensional forms
using various types of chisel.
Zogan (inlay)
Kebori (hairline engraving) = Hairline engraving using V-shaped chisels.
Ukibori = Low relief carving.
Sukashibori (piercing or openwork) = Piercing of the metal body with
a chisel or coping saw.
Inlay (togidashi-Zogan)
Inlay involves the embedding of relatively soft metals such as gold and silver into a
harder ground made of materials such as copper, iron, brass, shakudo or shibuichi.
There are a number of techniques, including line inlay (sen-zogan),
flat inlay hira-zogan), high relief inlay (takaniku-zogan), polished out inlay (togidashi)
and thread inlay (ito-zogan). In textile imprint inlay (nunome-zogan) thin sheets of gold,
silver or lead are hammered into a fine mesh-like grid engraved on to the surface of
the metal ground.
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