• Heated Colors, Hammered Forms: Female Metal Artists of Japan, turns the spotlight onto the contribution made by women to an aspect of kogei that was formerly a male preserve, closely associated with the world of the samurai. Although metals are especially hard to handle, shape, and decorate, the five featured artists have each devoted a lifetime to the medium, using it produce masterpieces that are every bit as expressive and beautiful as work in less obstinate materials such as clay or textile. 
     

  • OSUMI YUKIE'S WORKING PROCESSES

     

    Osumi begins her creation on the surface by chiseling small lines. Then cross-hatching by chiseling over  lines in a different direction. This is done several times across the surface to create a grid-like pattern. Then gold, silver, or lead foil is hammered and pressed into the cross-hatched areas on the surface. The foil clings to the grid-like surface, forming to the lines and pockets created by the chisel.  See Osumi performing this technique in the video from National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C.

  • Okamoto Yoshiko (b. 1976)

    Okamoto Yoshiko (b. 1976)

    Okamoto Yoshiko (b. 1976) uses the hagiawase technique, making intricate, colorful patterns by forging and welding alloys of different colors, including copper, silver, shakudō, and shibuichi—a gray-green alloy of copper and silver—to create surfaces that can evoke water shimmering in the breeze, or leaves dappled by sunlight.
  • Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Flower Vase “Kunpu' (Early Summer Breeze), 2014

    Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Flower Vase “Kunpu" (Early Summer Breeze), 2014

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    • Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Box “ Sokyo ” (Shimmering Water), 2018
      Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Box “ Sokyo ” (Shimmering Water), 2018
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    • Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Incense Burner “Spring Wind", 2021
      Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Incense Burner “Spring Wind", 2021
      Available
  • Her working motif has remained the same throughout her artist’s career that is an endless story of nature woven by the four seasons in which she incorporates poetic and musical aspects. This is done by using gradation of many layers of colorful tones of metal.
  • Okamoto Yoshiko, Hagiawase Box “Summer Musical Score", 2021
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  • Osumi Yukie (b. 1945), Living National Treasure (2015)

    Osumi Yukie (b. 1945)

    Living National Treasure (2015)

    Living National Treasure Ōsumi Yukie (b. 1945) shapes her vessel forms through an arduous hammering process, then beats metal leaf into a fine grid incised into their surfaces, fashioning designs evocative of wind, waves, and clouds. She writes that “metals can substitute the permanent for the fleeting and transitory, conferring eternity on phenomena that would otherwise have a limited lifespan.” 

  • Copyright National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C
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    (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
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  • Osumi Yukie, Silver Vase "Sokar" (Deep Blue Sea), 2017
  • Oshiyama Motoko (b. 1958)

    Oshiyama Motoko (b. 1958)

    Oshiyama Motoko (b. 1958),  is a masterful female artist who is inspired by nature and natural phenomena. Fascinated by the challenges and beauty of metalworking, she seeks to seamlessly incorporate her medium’s idiosyncrasies into her work instead of using force. Oshiyama studied metal carving, chasing, and hammering techniques at the Bunka Gakuen University in Tokyo, where she graduated in 1981. Following graduation, she studied further with Katsura Moriyuki (1914–1996) and the Living National Treasure, Okuyama Hōseki (b. 1935). Oshiyama currently teaches metalwork and jewelry making at her alma mater.

  • She creates swirling patterns through her technique of welding together two or more metals such as silver and shakudō (a...
    Oshiyama Motoko, Kakuhanmon Vase “Yunagi” (Evening Calm), 2021

    She creates swirling patterns through her technique of welding together two or more metals such as silver and shakudō (a mixture of gold and copper). Oshiyama gives distinction to her works with her modern sense of design, focusing on geometric and abstract patterns. 

     

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  • The results are works that straddle the separation between “art” and “craft,” aiming to create objects that aesthetically enrich our...
    Oshiyama Motoko, Kakuhanmon Vase “Shunen” (Spring Festival), 2022

    The results are works that straddle the separation between “art” and “craft,” aiming to create objects that aesthetically enrich our environments and lives.

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  • Oshiyama Motoko, Kakuhanmon Vase "Kagero" (Warm Haze), 2016
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  • We welcome seasoned collectors and newcomers to kogei to appreciate the passion, care, and creativity that each of the five artists has devoted to this magical process, “substituting the permanent for the fleeting.”  

  • Hagino Noriko (b. 1949)

    Hagino Noriko (b. 1949)

    Hagino Noriko (b. 1949), works with a technique called hagiawase, metal forging and heat welding, which she learned from Living National Treasure Sekiya Shirō (1907-1994). From the inception of her design to the arduous process of hammering metal, Hagino takes almost six months to complete each project.

     

    Intrigued by Sekiya’s works, Hagino became an apprentice in Sekiya’s studio upon graduating from Musashino Art Junior College. 

     

     

  • Known for her colorful-pieces in hagiawase technique, for this exhibition she has worked with nanryō, highly refined silver, wielding her...
    Hagino Noriko Uchidashi Silver Water Jar 01, 2017

    Known for her colorful-pieces in hagiawase technique, for this exhibition she has worked with nanryō, highly refined silver, wielding her hammer to conjure up different tones, shades, and textures from a single metal.
    • Hagino Noriko, Uchidashi Silver Water Jar 02, 2021
      Hagino Noriko, Uchidashi Silver Water Jar 02, 2021
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    • Hagino Noriko, Uchidashi Silver Water Jar 03, 2022
      Hagino Noriko, Uchidashi Silver Water Jar 03, 2022
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  • Otsuki Masako (1943-2022)

    Otsuki Masako (1943-2022)

    Influenced by her studies at Tama University’s Department of Design, Ōtsuki Masako (b. 1943), incorporates many aspects of design into her metalwork pieces. She has stated that in artwork, highly developed techniques should meet refined designs to appeal to audiences. 

  • She applies the hatsuri shave and carve technique, carving distinctive and fine-angled lines into base metals using chisels. This technique...
    Otsuki Masako , Silver Vase “Yu” (Play), 1997

    She applies the hatsuri shave and carve technique, carving distinctive and fine-angled lines into base metals using chisels. This technique gives the work a unique three-dimensional effect with depth and shadow.

     

    Despite the varying degrees of solubility, Ōtsuki expertly manipulates the gold, silver, copper and copper-silver alloy, lending metal—a cold medium,

    a feeling of warmth and life.

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    • Otsuki Masako , Copper Box with Fern Patterns, 2016
      Otsuki Masako , Copper Box with Fern Patterns, 2016
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    • Otsuki Masako , Silver Vase Kō (Sparkling Water), 2007
      Otsuki Masako , Silver Vase Kō (Sparkling Water), 2007
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