noun
openwork; fretwork
Refers to decorative work with openings, such as carved wood, metal, or other materials where patterns are created by cutting through the material.
この欄間は透かし細工が美しい。
The openwork on this transom is beautiful.
透かし細工の金属板が使われている。
A metal plate with openwork is used.
Compound of 透かし (sukashi, 'openwork' or 'transparency') and 細工 (saiku, 'craftwork'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used for decorative pierced work in various traditional crafts.