1.
wood carving
The art or craft of carving objects from wood, or an object made through this process.
木彫り names both the activity of carving wood and the carved object itself, so it can be the subject of a sentence or a modifier: 木彫りの + noun is the usual shape.
Common collocations
- 木彫りの熊: a carved wooden bear
- 木彫りの像: a wooden statue
- 木彫り細工: wood-carving work
- 木彫り師: a wood carver by trade
Similar words
- 彫刻 is sculpture as an art form, in any material, and is the word for a museum piece. 木彫り names the material and the technique, and covers craft objects as readily as art.
- 工芸 is the umbrella term for crafts of this kind.
Cultural note: the 木彫りの熊 — a bear with a salmon in its mouth — is the standard souvenir of 北海道 and is instantly recognisable to any Japanese adult. It is associated with Ainu craft traditions, though the familiar form was developed for the tourist trade in the twentieth century.