itchū 一鋳

Lit. single casting. A term used in metal casting when the entire form of a statue was cast at once, and not in separate parts. The opposite of *igarakuri 鋳繰 (casting in several sections). Many small gilt bronze statues *kondō 金銅 were made by single casting. To avoid air bubbles forming in the head of small statues, the mold was turned upside down and the molten metal poured in from the base of the statue. In the case of large statues, single casting was also used whenever possible, in which case many openings yuguchi 湯口 were made to pour in the molten metal.