The metalworking tradition (加賀金工) encompasses the broader community of artisans who practiced their craft under the patronage of the Maeda lords of Province, centered on Kanazawa. As the record, this tradition "developed under the patronage and encouragement of the Maeda family, lords of — famed as the ' domain of one million .'" Craftsmen's families such as Kuwamura, Tsuji, Katsuki, and Koichi are said to have migrated from Kyoto to around the 'ei and Joo eras, where they prospered. The most celebrated branch is the (加賀象嵌) tradition of flat inlay, described consistently as "a distinctive technique of - that developed in Province, centered on Kanazawa, from the early period through around the Kyoho era." Named masters include Suzuki Kahei Yoshinori, whose signed adorns a transmitted as the possession of Maeda Yoshiyasu, fourteenth lord of the house, and Yamao Haruri (山尾春理), whose signed demonstrate the tradition's continuation into the Bakumatsu period.
The collective idiom of metalwork is defined by its mastery of - — flat inlay deploying a rich palette of colored metals against polished grounds. The consistently note that artisans "made full use of various colored metals — gold, silver, copper, and others" on grounds of , , (朧銀), or (素銅), and that "the compositional planning is truly skillful." The technique is said to have originated when the flat-inlay methods of stirrup-makers (abumi-shi, 鐙工) were adapted for and sword fittings. Particular refinement is achieved through manipulation of gold alloy proportions: one uses "several kinds of gold — created by altering the proportions of the alloy — imparting an even deeper tonal richness," while another distinguishes three tonal gradations within gold alone. Alongside -, (毛彫, hairline engraving) is a constant companion technique, and the corpus extends to with on grounds. Motifs range from literary subjects — Genji monogatari scenes rendered on bamboo blinds, folding screens, and fan panels — to naturalistic compositions of autumn grasses, massed butterflies, dianthus with brushwood fences, and heraldic programs such as the Hakutaku (白澤) guardian creature of Maeda family tradition. Works on ground are noted as "comparatively rare," presenting "an archaic flavor," while polished grounds yield jet-black fields against which colored metals achieve maximum brilliance.
The tradition occupies a singular position in the tosogu canon as the premier regional school of flat inlay. The frames its finest productions in superlative terms: one "fully displays the chief attractions of -inlay , and exhaustively manifests the very essence of the tradition," while another's combination of - and is deemed "flawless — one can only call it superb." Several designated works are identified as presentation pieces conceived for the highest levels of patronage. The associated with Maeda Yoshiyasu is described as a work whose maker "undertook the commission with his very finest skills," its solid-gold fittings and multi-technique lacquerwork brought "to a truly compelling, highly appreciable finish." In its integration of - with broader metalworking skills — , , , and unified programs — the tradition demonstrates the breadth of achievement the designation texts recognize as seeking "the highest level in both metal fittings and lacquer work."