Also shizume ukibori Ύί€. Hollow relief
carving. An inscription or motif hollowed out of a surface using a burin. Known
also as low relief carving, shishiaibori χ€, when applied to metalwork.
In metalwork the outlines of a design are inscribed on the surface, and then the
surrounding areas are lightly hollowed out to leave the design upstanding in low
relief. The level of the design is usually lower than the original metal surface.
Sugiura Joui YζΣ (1701-61) is said to be the first Japanese artist to have used
shishiaibori. In printmaking inkoku consists of carving out the
outlines of a design on the printing block or plate, which are then expressed
as white lines in the finished print. The opposite of inkoku is youkoku
z, where the design projects from the surface. |