was a Japanese

kirikane is a Japanese decorative technique used for Buddhist statues and paintings, using gold leaf, silver leaf, or platinum leaf cut into lines, diamonds, and triangles. History was imported from China during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The ol ...

artist. She was a Living National Treasure of Japan and a member of the

Japan Kōgei Association The Japan Kōgei Association (日本工芸会) is a non-profit association dedicated to the protection and development of intangible cultural heritage, traditional Japanese crafts and supporting artisans such as Living National Treasures. The or ...

. Her husband is a Buddhist image sculptor Kokei Eri. Her daughter is a Kirikane artist Tomoko Eri. Her son is an artist Naoki Eri.

Biography

Fuji-no-Ma in the Kyoto State Guest House 02

She was born into a family of Japanese embroiderers; she learned Japanese style of painting and dyeing. She started ''

'' in 1974 after she married Kokei Eri, a sculptor of Buddhist images. Since acquiring the skill, she has tried to expand her scope as an artist, actively using the ''kirikane'' technique not only for traditional Buddhist images but for modern handicrafts as well. Her work includes objects such as boxes, trays, incense containers, green tea powder containers, plaques, wall decorations, folding screens and room dividers. She had exhibited her works in private and public exhibitions. She won the President of Japan Art Crafts Association Prize, the grand prize of the exhibition, in 1991 and the Prince Takamatsu Memorial Prize in 2001. She had also won many prizes in the Kinki District exhibitions of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts Exhibitions and the Seventh Category exhibitions of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts Exhibitions. She participated in the decoration of the

Kyoto State Guest House is one of the two state guest houses of the Government of Japan. The other state guesthouse is the Akasaka Palace. History During the Edo period (1603 – 1868) a Garden House and multiple mansions of aristocrats stood in the northeastern part ...

. She was honoured as an Important Intangible Cultural Property, also known as

Living National Treasure (Japan) is a Japanese popular term for those individuals certified as by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as based on Japan's . The term "Living National Treasure" is not formally mentioned in the law, but is an informa ...

, on July 8, 2002, for her expertise and contributions in ''kirikane''. Eri Sayoko died unexpectedly on October 3, 2007, at the age of 62, in

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, France.

Prizes

*Prize of 14th Japan Art Crafts Association in the Exhibition of Kinki District Japanese Traditional Art Crafts for "Octagonal box, Butterfly Fantasy" in 1985 *The Asahi Shimbun Prize in the 6th Exhibition of Nanabukai Japanese Traditional Art Crafts Association for "Ornamental small box, Blossoming" in 1990 *President Prize of 38th Japan Art Crafts Association in the Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts for "Ornamental box, Flowering Art and Elegance" in 1991 *Prize of Japan Art Crafts Association in the 8th Exhibition of Nanabukai Japanese Traditional Art Crafts Association for "Ornamental small box, Fine Moment" in 1992 *Nihon Keizai Shimbun Prize in the 22nd Exhibitions of Kinki District Japanese Traditional Art Crafts for "Ornamental box, Blossoming Flower" in 1993 *Takamatsunomiya Commemorative Prize in the 48th Exhibition of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts for "Ornamental box, Silk Road Fantasy" in 2001

References

*Sayoko Eri Kirikane World -Brilliance and Romance of Gold Leaf- *Kirikane of Sayoko Eri, Tsukuru(Creation) 1 - Encounters with 13 Crafts Artists, organized by NHK(Nihon Broadcast Association9, 1990, by Japan Broadcast Publishing Co.

External links

Heian Bussho (平安佛所)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eri, Sayoko 1945 births 2007 deaths Living National Treasures of Japan 20th-century Japanese women Artists from Kyoto Prefecture Japanese women artists 20th-century Japanese artists 21st-century Japanese women