Ivory carving - Zōgebori

Japanese: 象牙彫 - ぞうげぼり

A general term for carvings and crafts using ivory. It has been practiced since ancient times because of its beautiful color, fine texture, and the ability to be worked with great care. It flourished in the ancient Orient, Greece, and Rome, and further into the Carolingian and Ottonian periods, when it was used for binding panels for manuscripts, sacred vessels, and other ritual implements. During the Gothic period, small sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Child were also produced in large numbers, forming an important part of Gothic crafts. Chinese techniques were imported to Japan during the Nara period, but these ceased to be used until the end of the Edo period when it was used for netsuke, and until the beginning of the Meiji period, when it became popular under the name Gecho (ivory carving).

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

象牙を用いた彫刻，工芸の総称。色が美しく，きめが細かくて入念な細工ができるので古くから行われた。古代オリエント，ギリシア，ローマ，さらにカロリング朝，オットー朝時代になって写本の装丁板，聖器等の祭具に利用され隆盛。ゴシック期には聖母子の小彫像等も盛んに作られ，ゴシック工芸の重要な一部分を形成した。日本には中国の技法が奈良時代に輸入されたが，のちとだえ，江戸末期になってから根付に利用，明治初期にかけて牙彫(げちょう)と呼ばれて盛行した。

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