Skull Wabori (Japanese Tattoo Style) Art Panel

Wada Chokin Kobo is a workshop in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, devoted to chokin — the art of carving pictures into metal with a tagane chisel and a hammer. Shunsuke Wada, the fourth-generation craftsman, carries on the technique.

The motif carved here is a skull. It speaks of life's impermanence and change, reminding us to live with purpose. Regarded as a good-luck emblem since the age of the samurai, it appeared in ukiyo-e prints and on kabuki costumes alike. It is also a symbol of the strength to overcome fear and set out on a new life.

The brass plate that forms the base is a traditional craft piece of Takaoka, blackened by an artisan through oxidation coloring. Into this black surface, the skull was carved by driving in the tagane. Only hand carving gives deeply cut lines that catch the light and gleam.

So that you can fully enjoy the character of the carved lines, the piece is not framed with acrylic or glass. It is an art panel that can be hung on the wall just as it is.

Because each piece is carved by hand, the expression of the carving and the tone of the black vary slightly from one to the next. Enjoy the shadows that shift with the angle of the light, and the way the brass deepens in character over time.