sukinomi 透鑿

Also called aisuki 相透. A carving tool used in woodblock printmaking *ukiyo-e 浮世絵. After the initial carving of the woodblock *hangi 版木 with a small knife *kogatana 小刀, the sukinomi is used to carve the smaller areas between the lines of a design. The result is that the lines appear as raised areas on the carved woodblock. 

Blades for sukinomi are arch-shaped, range in size from a width of around 7.6 mm to 1.5 mm, and have seven or eight sizes, each of which is used for a different purpose. The handle of the sukinomi is held between the index finger and the thumb of the right hand, and carving is done with the left hand serving as support.