The irresistible power of gold
When you think of artworks that use gold, what comes to mind? Perhaps the Fujin Raijin-zu Byobu (風神雷神図屏風, Wind and Thunder Gods Folding Screen) with its golden backdrop and divine figures, or the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun, or even Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺, The Golden Pavilion), whose gilded façade flaunts power and wealth. What all these have in common is this: gold is utterly awe-inspiring.
Once reserved only for the elite, gold is rare, radiant, resistant to decay, and has always been regarded as something exceptional. From ancient times to the modern day, it has been used to embellish objects of great importance. Whether in painting, sculpture, crafts, or architecture, anything adorned with gold is instantly recognised as something of value.
The mesmerising glow of gold
There are many reasons why gold-adorned artworks are so captivating, but one of the most striking is their shimmering brilliance. Let me ask—have you ever wondered how golden screens or gilded Buddha statues are coloured? As someone who mainly writes children’s books and isn’t well-versed in Japanese art, I used to assume they were painted with gold-coloured pigment. But to my surprise (and with sincere apologies to the art world!), the gold you see is actual gold—gold leaf, to be precise—applied directly onto the surface.
Gold leaf is made by hammering a tiny alloy of gold mixed with just a touch of silver or copper into an ultra-thin sheet—just one ten-thousandth of a millimetre thick. Why not use 100% pure gold? Because it’s too soft to be flattened that thinly. Instead, a slightly alloyed gold is sandwiched between sheets of ganpishi (雁皮紙, a type of traditional Japanese paper), and then meticulously hammered until it becomes so delicate it can flutter away with a mere breath. No wonder it gleams so beautifully in the light—after all, it’s real gold!
Creating intricate patterns with gold with the ‘Kirikane’ technique
Since ancient times, gold leaf has been used to decorate Buddhist statues and traditional crafts. When covering a large surface or entire background in gold, one can apply the gold leaf as is to create a dazzling effect. But when it comes to adding intricate embellishments to a painting or a statue, simply sticking on whole sheets of gold leaf just won’t do. This is where a traditional Japanese technique known as kirikane (截金) comes into play.
First, several sheets of gold leaf are layered and fused together using heat (①). Next, the combined gold leaf is placed onto a board covered with deerskin, and carefully cut into strips as fine as 0.3mm using a bamboo blade that doesn’t create static (②). Then, using a natural adhesive made from funori (a seaweed-based glue) and nikawa (膠, gelatine extracted from animal bones or skin), a pattern is painted onto the area you wish to decorate (③). The finely cut strips of gold leaf are then placed over this pattern. Interestingly, layering the gold gives it a slightly wrinkled texture, which allows the delicate strips to be applied in gentle curves.
No matter how thin the strips are cut, the inherent brilliance of the gold remains undiminished. When light hits the surface, it sparkles and shimmers—something no ordinary paint line could ever replicate.
For this book, we asked for a basic design to be created using the kirikane technique, and as we observed the process from the side, the entire team was left speechless—“Wait, what!? That’s incredible…” Watching the artist guide gold strips, as thin as thread, across the surface using two fine brushes was like witnessing a magical illusion unfold before our eyes.
Even more gold techniques to discover
In addition to kirikane, other traditional techniques featured in Shogakukan’s NEO Art: Discovering National Treasures (pp. 206–207, ‘Decorating with Gold Leaf’) include sunago (砂子), which involves sprinkling fine grains of gold like sand; noge (野毛), where gold flecks are scattered across the surface; and kirihaku (切箔), where tiny cut pieces of gold leaf are delicately spread across the artwork.
https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/pr/neoart/kokuhou/
For this special section, we were guided by artist and kirikane master Namiki Hidetoshi (並木秀俊), who generously shared his knowledge of these techniques. Namiki is renowned for blending kirikane, typically used in traditional craftwork, with nihonga (日本画, Japanese-style painting) to create innovative works of art. His activities span much further than creation alone—he is deeply engaged in researching the global history of kirikane, and he also teaches at university level.
Using kirikane, Namiki paints flowing lines with gold as if using a brush.
The use of kirikane not only brings a luminous elegance to the artwork, but also a sense of the sacred—transforming it into something truly one-of-a-kind. We highly recommend checking out Namiki Hidetoshi’s delicate and sophisticated work on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/namiki.hidetoshi/
If you’ve ever thought Japanese art is a bit subdued, or that National Treasures are difficult to appreciate, then this book is for you. Shogakukan’s NEO Art: Discovering National Treasures offers a refreshing new perspective—an invitation to connect with Japanese art in a way that’s both engaging and accessible. There’s no doubt it will make traditional art feel much more personal and close to home.
Preview and purchase the book here
https://www.shogakukan.co.jp/books/09217267
This article is translated from https://intojapanwaraku.com/art/270425/
