About Higo Zogan
Higo zogan is metal inlay craft produced in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture. In the early Edo period, craftspeople serving the Higo Hosokawa Domain established inlay techniques of embedding gold and silver into iron bases, applied to armor, accessories, and tea ceremony utensils. The characteristic technique is "nunome zogan" (cloth-ground inlay), cutting grooves into the iron base with fine chisels and driving in gold and silver wire. The contrast between the gleaming gold and silver against the black iron creates a uniquely beautiful aesthetic.
Techniques & Materials
Craft terms are shown in the original Japanese — these are proper names with no standard English equivalents.
Techniques
布目象嵌（ぬのめぞうがん）金線・銀線打ち込み鉄地彫刻磨き仕上げ
Materials
鉄金線・銀線
Where to see & buy
Workshop names are in Japanese; links go to their official sites.
- 肥後象嵌 濱西工房