ZOGAN inlay is a craft in which pure gold or pure silver is hammered into an iron base metal to create various patterns and designs. It was developed during the samurai period as decoration for guns, sword tsuba, smoking pipes, etc. It is characterized by its elegant and graceful beauty with a low showiness, which is the spirit of the samurai culture. 
In order to emphasize the beauty of the base iron itself, no paints are used on the base iron, which is finished only in rust color. Compared to the glittering zogan of Kyoto and Europe, where gold and silver are used extensively, Higo zogan has an austere finish that brings out the blackness of the base metal.