Period:

Edo jidai.

Basic Shape:

Round or oval in most cases.

Carving:

Nikubori, shishiai, and kebori.

Thickness:

Average thickness but sometimes a little thicker than average.

Design Characteristics:

Human figures, landscapes, flowers and birds, historical subjects of either Chinese or Japanese derivation. The inlay is usually gold, copper, silver, and shakudo. Human faces will be either silver or copper inlay. Both masters used pure silver for their inlay.

Plate Metal:

The iron is of good quality but the tempering is quite common. The nikubori is inferior. Attempted to cover this fault in the iron quality by making a good edge and using fine decoration.

Comments:

Although the work is usually on iron plate, the plate is subordinate to the decoration. The Soten work should be judged on the quality of the carving, inlay and designs.