ogata 雄型

Keywords
Art History
Sculpture

A projecting mould used in metalwork. Moulds used for metalwork were divided into two types: ogata (convex or protruding moulds); and *megata 雌型 (concave or hollow moulds). Ogata and megata literally mean 'male' and 'female' mould. Since ogata consist of a model with an upstanding image, a thin bronze plate could be laid over the top and hammered into shape. Several duplicates could be made from the same ogata mould. Buddhist images made in this way were called *oshidashibutsu 押出仏 or tsuichōzō 鎚ちょう像 (hammered image). Ogata was also sometimes used to refer to the inner core, or inner mould, and megata to the outer mould, when a statue was cast using two moulds simultaneously, one inside the other, as in the lost-wax technique *rōgata 蝋型. This usage of ogata is synonymous with *nakago 中型.