Metal such as silver, tin, and brass (platinum was also used during the Meiji period), hard-to find items such as glass and tortoise shell, scented wood such as agalloch and sandalwood as well as crystal for summer season-products (few are existing today because such products were too fragile for practical use) were used as the materials for a main body.
本体部分は金属では銀、錫、真鍮（明治ごろにはプラチナも）など、希少品であったガラスや鼈甲に伽羅や白檀のような香木、夏用のものとして水晶が用いられたことも有る（脆く実用には耐えないため遺品は少ない）。