noun
plaster relief carving; trowel painting
A traditional Japanese decorative technique where a trowel is used to create raised plaster designs on walls, often seen in storehouses and temples.
この蔵の壁には美しい鏝絵が施されている。
The walls of this storehouse are adorned with beautiful plaster relief carvings.
鏝絵は左官職人の技術によって作られる。
Plaster relief carvings are created through the skill of plasterers.
左官 refers to the plasterer or the trade itself, while 鏝絵 is the specific art form produced using plastering techniques.
漆喰 is the lime plaster material often used as the base for 鏝絵, but 鏝絵 emphasizes the decorative relief work.
Compound of 鏝 (こて, 'trowel') and 絵 (え, 'picture'), referring to pictures made with a plastering trowel. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but the technique became prominent in the Edo period.