Chinkin: The Sunken-Gold Carving of Wajima Lacquerware

A chinkin design can be drawn in fine engraved lines or built from fields of tiny points. Gold sits in those cuts within a lacquer surface. The name chinkin (沈金), “sunken gold”, describes the placement of the metal in this decorating technique, closely associated with Wajima.

This Urushi Studies article follows Wajima-nuri and maki-e with a closer look at engraving and gilding.

What Is Chinkin?

The artisan engraves lines or points in cured lacquer, works fresh urushi into the recesses and applies gold leaf or powder. After excess material is removed, the metal remains in the design. Recessing it does not make the decoration immune to wear.

From Qiangjin to Chinkin: How Sunken Gold Reached Japan

Chinese qiangjin (戧金), or incised-gold lacquer, preceded Japanese chinkin. Examples were made during the Song and Yuan periods and imported into Japan, where they were collected during the Muromachi period (1336–1573).

Japanese workshops developed their own engraved decoration. In Edo-period Wajima, chinkin became an established specialism alongside maki-e within a lacquer industry organised around several stages of skilled work.

How Chinkin Is Made: Carve, Rub, Gild

Small chisels, chinkin-nomi, have different blade profiles for making lines and points. A typical sequence is:

1. Design transfer. The motif is drafted on paper and transferred faintly onto the polished lacquer surface.
2. Engraving. Suji-bori makes continuous lines; ten-bori builds tone with points. The blade’s angle and shape change the mark.
3. Applying lacquer. Fresh urushi is worked into the cuts, with excess wiped from the surrounding surface.
4. Adding metal. Gold leaf or powder adheres to the lacquer in the design. Other metals and pigments can also be used, according to the intended finish.
5. Finishing. Curing and removal of excess material leave the decorated lines and points within the surface.

Mae Taihō, recognised as a Living National Treasure for chinkin, developed dot engraving to build tone and suggest volume. Closely spaced points could describe fur and feathers as well as the outlines of forms.

How chinkin differs from maki-e

Chinkin begins with engraving into cured lacquer. In maki-e, the design is drawn in lacquer and receives sprinkled metal powder. Some maki-e is raised; togidashi work can be polished flush. Both techniques can produce varied lines and textures, and they may appear on the same object.

Read the maki-e study for its different methods. Kinrande porcelain offers a separate gold-decorating tradition with different materials and processes.

Chinkin in Wajima

Wajima is particularly associated with chinkin, though engraving is practised in other lacquer regions too. Our Tsugaru-nuri study introduces a different approach to patterned surfaces.

Wajima-nuri brings wooden bases, ground layers and lacquer finishes together before decoration. Ishikawa Prefecture’s chinkin profile describes the technique and its development within that craft.

The Noto earthquake of January 2024 damaged Wajima’s workshops and historic streets. That loss forms part of the context for understanding the town’s craft community and its documented work.

Gold, Elsewhere in the Collection

For a different use of gold-coloured accents, the following ceramic and glass pieces offer visual comparisons. They are not examples of chinkin; their product pages describe the individual materials and decoration.

• Arita Imari Red & Gold Chrysanthemum Cup & Saucer — red and gold-coloured decoration on porcelain.
• Arita Imari Blue & Gold Chrysanthemum Cup & Saucer — a blue-and-gold arrangement.
• Edo Glass Sake Cup with Gold Leaf — gold leaf in deep blue glass.
• Shigaraki Black Gold Ikebana Vase — a contrasting black and gold-coloured ceramic surface.

For more gilded porcelain from the same region as two of these pieces, browse the Arita & Hasami Ware collection.

FAQ

Is chinkin the same as kintsugi?

Kintsugi repairs broken ceramics; chinkin engraves decoration into a prepared lacquer surface. They can share materials such as urushi and gold, but serve different purposes. Our kintsugi guide explains repair methods and limitations.

How can I tell hand-carved chinkin from a printed imitation?

Look closely at engraved lines and points to understand the surface, but do not rely on reflections or small irregularities as an authenticity test. Ask for the maker’s name, process description, and supporting records. Photographs alone may not distinguish all printed, engraved, or mixed techniques.

How should I care for chinkin lacquerware?

For washable tableware, follow the maker’s gentle hand-washing routine with lukewarm water and a soft cloth, then dry promptly. Avoid soaking, abrasives, dishwashers and microwaves unless specifically approved. Recessed gold and the surrounding lacquer can still be damaged. See the urushi care guide.

Source: Ishikawa Prefecture’s chinkin profile, linked above. Antique, damaged and display-only pieces need assessment before food use.