Nibutani Ita Picture of Wood Carver (detail), , Collection of Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum

A man carving its with makiri(small knife) is depicted with a mother and two children. A work of Sekkei Sawada in the Meiji period.

Ita was made from the wood of walnut, katsura, or Japanese pagoda tree of the Nibutani and other areas of Hokkaido. A dried wooden board was carved out to make a tray-shape, and various patterns were engraved on the surface of the tray. It was characteristic of Nibutani that traditional Ainu motifs were used as patterns for ita.