Kinginsunago-Ga [ Art of Gold and Silver Leaf ]

Tabei Minoru

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Kingin sunago is a traditional craft that draws colorful patterns on plates and paper by coating them with gold and silver powder.
It’s history dates back to the Tale of Genji scrolls and the Heike Noukyo of the Heian period (794-1185), and it is said to have been used as a decoration that adds appeal to the scrolls and books.
After that, it became a highly artistic traditional craft that was also used in the paintings and screens of Ogata Korin during the Edo period.
In recent years, it has been widely used as a method to draw patterns on Japanese sliding screens in ordinary households, but since the number of households with sliding screens is decreasing, so is the demand for kingin sunago.

Mr. Tabei is a kingin sunago craftsman who succeeded it from his father.
In the past there were many orders for kingin sunago on sliding doors, but the demand gradually decreased with the number of sliding screens.
At that time, he began to draw while wondering if he “can do something new with kingin sunago”. Sunago creates a three-dimensional effect and enhances expression within a drawing. This makes the artwork original.

Mr. Tabei is a kingin sunago craftsman who succeeded it from his father.
In the past there were many orders for kingin sunago on sliding doors, but the demand gradually decreased with the number of sliding screens.
At that time, he began to draw while wondering if he “can do something new with kingin sunago”. Sunago creates a three-dimensional effect and enhances expression within a drawing. This makes the artwork original.

During the process of kingin sunago, you make a piece of gold foil that is finely cut with a bamboo knife [kirihaku] and a piece of gold foil that is cut into threads [noge].
Next you apply glue to the paper or board you want to decorate so the gold foil can be easily attached.
Then, while holding up a bamboo tube with gold powder in it you shake it and tap it lightly so the powder drops a little at a time, and finally the kirihaku and noge are added and arranged for decoration.

“It may seem that it is easy to make the kiriharu and noge when you look at it, but it takes a lot of practice to actually finish it skillfully.
I would like to continue to teach the techniques of kingin sunago to future generations,” says Mr. Tabei.