Chinkin: Engraved Gold-Line Lacquer

Chinkin ("sunken gold") is structurally the opposite of maki-e: instead of building a design up on the surface, the design is carved into the cured lacquer with specialized chisels — fine dots and lines gouged directly into the finish — and gold or silver dust or leaf is then worked into the incisions, where it catches and holds. (Pen Boutique) It is unforgiving in a way few other decorative techniques are: because the design is physically cut into the lacquer surface, a mistake cannot be painted over or corrected — the artisan has to restart. In the Wajima-nuri tradition specifically, chinkin decoration is documented as having been introduced during the Kyōhō era (mid-Edo period), predating the region's adoption of maki-e in the later Bunsei era. (Wikipedia, Wajima-nuri)