is a

gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...

-application technique used in

Japanese pottery and porcelain is one of the oldest Japanese crafts and art forms, dating back to the Neolithic period. Types have included earthenware, pottery, stoneware, porcelain, and blue-and-white ware. Japan has an exceptionally long and successful history of cer ...

. It forms a transparent overglaze on gilded porcelain. ''Yūri-kinsai'' is a complicated under look technique. It uses two kinds of gold leaf that consists of one thick and one thin layer. Before firing and glazing the vessel, the leaves are cut or carved into the desired shapes and then applied to the lacquered surface. The

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

is then covered in clear glaze and fired at controlled, low temperatures. This firing fuses the leaf to the surface while burning away excess lacquer. In the final stage sometimes two coats of soda glaze are applied to the surface in separate firings. Up to six individual firings are used to achieve the final result. The different thicknesses create the contrast of the pattern and with the glaze giving the vessel a visual dimension. As well as gold, other

noble metal A noble metal is ordinarily regarded as a metallic chemical element, element that is generally resistant to corrosion and is usually found in nature in its native element, raw form. Gold, platinum, and the other platinum group metals (ruthenium ...

s such as

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

, in , or

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

may be used. In 2011 it was registered by the government as an Intangible Cultural Property.

Notable artists

Modern

Kutani ware is a style of Japanese porcelain traditionally supposed to be from Kutani, now a part of Kaga, Ishikawa, in the former Kaga Province. It is divided into two phases: ''Ko-Kutani'' (old Kutani), from the 17th and early 18th centuries, and ''Saik ...

displays refined ''yūri-kinsai'' techniques. The ''Kinzangama''

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or Chemical Changes, chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects m ...

was established by the Yoshita family in

Komatsu, Ishikawa is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 108,509 in 42,664 households, and a population density of 290 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Komatsu is located in southwe ...

Prefecture in 1906. The third generation master is (b. 1932), who was designated a Living National Treasure for his work. (1915–1996) was a female artist from

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, who lived and worked in

Ureshino, Saga 270px, Ureshino Onsen 270px, Shiodatsu Historical Preservation Area is a city located in the western part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 24,529 in 10075 households, and a population ...

Prefecture. She established herself in the 1970s with porcelain works and became renowned for her ''yūri-kinsai'' works. Her son (1953–2010) continued the tradition, but also specialised in ''

kinrande is a Japanese porcelain style where gold is applied on the surface and there are a number of variations. It originated from China during the Jiajing (1521–1566) and Wanli (1573–1620) periods of the Ming dynasty. In the late Edo period, ...

''. Takuro Furukawa (古川拓郎) (b. 1979), 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 org ...

, works with a technique called , which uses platinum.

References

Important Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan Japanese pottery Japanese art terminology {{japan-art-stub