彫(ほ)り物(もの)

ほりもの
noun
carving; engraving; tattoo (traditional sense)
1. carving; engraving; sculpted work
A pattern, image, or design carved or engraved into a surface — wood, stone, metal, etc. Refers both to the act of carving and to the resulting artwork.
古(ふる)い箱(はこ)に美(うつく)しい彫(ほ)り物(もの)が施(ほどこ)されている。
Beautiful carvings have been applied to the old box.
祖父(そふ)は木(き)の彫(ほ)り物(もの)が趣味(しゅみ)だった。
My grandfather's hobby was wood carving.
神社(じんじゃ)の欄間(らんま)には細(こま)かい彫(ほ)り物(もの)が施(ほどこ)されており、職人(しょくにん)の技(わざ)に驚(おどろ)いた。
Detailed carvings adorn the transom of the shrine, and I was amazed at the craftsmen's skill.
江戸(えど)時代(じだい)の欄間(らんま)に施(ほどこ)された細(こま)やかな彫(ほ)り物(もの)は、当時(とうじ)の職人(しょくにん)の高(たか)い技術(ぎじゅつ)を今(いま)に伝(つた)えている。
The delicate carvings on Edo-period transoms convey the high skill of the craftsmen of that era to us today.
2. tattoo (especially a traditional Japanese-style tattoo)
An older / native term for a tattoo, traditionally associated with elaborate Japanese-style designs (irezumi). The term has cultural baggage in Japan due to historical associations with criminals and yakuza, though it is also used neutrally to refer to traditional tattoo art.
銭湯(せんとう)には「彫(ほ)り物(もの)のある方(かた)は入浴(にゅうよく)できません」と書(か)かれていた。
At the public bath, a sign read "People with tattoos cannot bathe here."
その老人(ろうじん)の背中(せなか)には、龍(りゅう)と虎(とら)の大(おお)きな彫(ほ)り物(もの)が入(はい)っていた。
The old man had a large carving of a dragon and a tiger inked on his back.

彫(ほ)り物(もの) combines the verb 彫(ほ)る (to carve, to engrave) with 物(もの) (thing). It has two main senses: a carving or engraving on a physical surface, and (especially in older or traditional contexts) a tattoo.

SCOPE NOTES — TATTOO SENSE:

  • The tattoo sense (彫(ほ)り物(もの) = irezumi) is the older, native term for tattoo, especially a traditional Japanese full-back or full-body design.
  • In modern Japan, the more neutral term is タトゥー (loanword), used for any kind of tattoo.
  • 入(い)れ墨(ずみ) (刺青(いれずみ)) is another term, often used in legal/news contexts and historically associated with the yakuza.
  • Tattoos still carry social stigma in Japan, and many onsen, public baths, gyms, and pools prohibit guests with visible 彫(ほ)り物(もの) or タトゥー.

Common collocations

  • 彫(ほ)り物(もの)を施(ほどこ)す: to apply / put carving on (something)
  • 彫(ほ)り物(もの)が入(はい)っている: to have a tattoo (sense 2); to have carvings on (sense 1)
  • 木(き)の彫(ほ)り物(もの): wood carving
  • 彫(ほ)り物(もの)師(し): carver / sculptor (or, in sense 2, traditional tattoo artist)

Related words

Usage

  • In sense 1 (carving), 彫(ほ)り物(もの) feels slightly informal compared to 彫刻(ちょうこく) (which is the standard art-history term).
  • In sense 2 (tattoo), 彫(ほ)り物(もの) suggests traditional Japanese-style work (irezumi); for a small fashion tattoo, タトゥー is more natural.

Related Words

Related: 彫(ほ)る (to carve, to engrave)
Related: 彫刻(ちょうこく) (sculpture)
Related: 刺青(いれずみ) (tattoo)
Related: タトゥー (tattoo)
Related: 彫像(ちょうぞう) (sculpture, statue)
general
Added 2026.5.9 20:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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