In 1974, Yasue Takaaki (1898-1997) established the Yasue Gold Leaf Museum in Kanazawa with a vision to preserve the intricate art of goldbeating and gold leaf craftsmanship for future generations. This unique museum, one of the few in the world dedicated solely to gold leaf, offers visitors a fascinating glimpse into the goldbeating process, showcasing the tools used and displaying exquisite art and craft pieces adorned with gold and gold leaf.
A Journey Through Gold Leaf Crafts
The Art of Goldbeating
Kanazawa gold leaf is a centuries-old Japanese art form. It starts with a gold ingot that's stretched very thin and then beaten thousands of times. Special paper called haku-uchigami 箔打紙 is used to help shape the gold. The finished gold leaf is incredibly thin and strong.
The Art of Gold Leaf Unveiled (YouTube link)
The Making of Haku-uchigami
Haku-uchigami 箔打紙 is made by immersing Ganpish ガンピッシュ, a type of handmade Japanese paper, in a lye mixture containing water, rice straw ash, persimmon tannin, and eggs. The excess moisture is squeezed out, and the paper is hammered together using an Aku-uchiki machine. After numerous repetitions of peeling the paper apart, a process called Tekazu, the paper becomes Haku-uchigami, which is used in gold leaf hammering.
 |
| The Making of Haku-uchigami |
The Making of Kinpaku (Gold Leaf)
Uwazumi, a first-stage gold foil, is cut into small pieces and placed between layers of Komagami, a type of Kaku-uchigami paper. The stack is wrapped in leather and hammered using a Haku-uchiki machine until the gold foil reaches about 10 cm in size. This gold foil, called Koma, is then transferred to Omogami paper and hammered again. The completed gold leaves are inspected, and selected ones are transferred one by one onto the special notes called Hiromonocho.
 |
| The Making of Kinpaku (Gold Leaf /金箔) |
The Final Step: Kinpaku 金箔 Cutting
Using bamboo tweezers, a fully hammered gold leaf is transferred to a leather board. A bamboo frame called a Takewaku is then used to cut the gold leaf into squares.
The Beauty of Gold Leaf Art
Gold leaf, as thin as 1/10,000th of a millimeter, can be used in various art forms, including paintings, lacquerware, metalwork, textiles, ceramics, and sculptures. The resulting gilded arts or crafts have a shiny golden appearance and are highly attractive, often sought after by collectors.
Golden Masterpieces: The Beauty of Gold Leaf Art (YouTube link)
 |
| Ornate Bronze Vase with gold and silver inlay |
 |
| Karaori 唐織, an exquisitely embroidered, traditional woman’s kimono. Certainly one of the most beautiful theatrical costumes in the world. Gold thread used in this robe is made by pasting gold leaf on washi, then shredding it into threads. |
 |
| Intricate Rooster Design: Chinkin Artwork |
 |
| Bowl with a design of flowers in Yūri-kinsai (釉裏金彩) |
 |
| A box adorned with an auspicious design of pine and cranes, created using the Chinkin technique |
 |
| Ornate Gold Leaf Doll Charm |
Gold leaf gilding in Nihonga【日本画】金箔の押し方 (YouTube link)
References
- The Charm of Continuously Glowing Gold Leaf with a Thickness of One Ten-thousandth of One Millimeter
- Kanazawa City Yasue Gold Leaf Crafts Museum
No comments:
Post a Comment