|  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.  |