List of Works
Lobby
Ornamental dish,peony arabesque pattern and auspicious bird design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 10.0 Mouth 55.0 Base 28.5 2015
Thick gold leaf was used to create motifs of the auspicious bird and the peony, an auspicious flower representing wealth and happiness. The six-petaled ridged flower shape provides the background for the darker and lighter tones of yellowish-green glaze in a radial pattern, while the grains of gold scattered near the auspicious bird give a sense of movement. The peonies and feathers are cut out in foil, and other details such as the bird’s face and feathers are delicately etched with a needle. The reverse side is also decorated, with superb craftsmanship down to the smallest detail.
ORISAKU Mineko 「YOSHITA Minori's Portrait」 Reference:ORISAKU Mineko&Foil Photography®
Living National Treasure Certificate
ORISAKU Mineko「薔薇。SAUBI」
How to Entsuke Gold Leaf（used in Minori's works）
Room1
ORISAKU Mineko「妹背。MEOTO」
1-1
Ornamental dish,lotus flower design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 4.5 Mouth 30.5 Base 6.5
Lotus depicted with gold leaves on a yellowish-green background. Details of the lotus flowers are engraved by needle and veins of the lotus leaves are expressed with gold enamel. The gold leaf used for the flowers and the leaves is of different thicknesses. Even light shining down on the smaller leaves floating on the water’s surface is represented. Overglaze enamels depict lotuses on the reverse side.
1-2
Plaque,cherry blossoms design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 23.0 Width 30.5 Thickness 0.6 2015
Beautiful scenery with soft sunlight. In 2019, Japan became the first Asian country to host the Rugby World Cup games. This cherry blossom design was chosen for the medals presented, in a desire to share Japanese culture with people throughout the world.
FUKUDA Heihachiro「AKEBONO」 Collection of Mr.Honjin
1-3
Ornamental dish,clematis design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 9.1 Mouth 50.5 Base 29.0 2001
Dish with six petals. The background has yellow radial stripes in a color similar to the background color with a pale yellowish-green gradation. The clematis is expressed figuratively with different thicknesses of gold leaf, in the manner of a floral arabesque motif. Leaves are reflected in the center pool of glaze together with butterflies. The reverse side has the same radial stripe background with flowers depicted in three places.
Room2
KAWABATA Ryushi「Peonys」 Collection of Mr.Honjin
2-1
Vase,peony arabesque pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 40.0 Mouth 12.2 Base 14.5 Body 24.0 2007
A background of yellow ridged stripes with yellow to yellowish-green gradation. Gold foil serrations of random lengths extend along the ridges from the rim and from the bottom of the vase. The leaves hang down bell-shaped. The center of the flowers have hatching with dots painted on them, evoking a flat effect and adding to the bold peony and arabesque pattern. On the reverse side, the artist’s name Minori is written inside a frame with a pattern of hatching.
2-2
Vase,peony arabesque pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 21.5 Mouth 6.0 Base 7.5 Body 14.5 2021
A design of large peonies decorates the grand deep red background color. The centers of the peonies are painted with gold dots.
2-3
Jar,floral arabesque design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 31.4 Mouth 11.7 Base 12.2 Body 22.5
Elegant purple-glazed vase with lugs. The centers of the flowers are painted with gold dots. The floral arabesque is designed so that the leaves wind around the flowers in the middle.
2-4
Box,peony arabesque pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 10.5 Depth 29.5 Width 31.0 1996
The emerald green background has a dotted pattern. The thick gold leaf is firmly engraved by needle. The peony and arabesque pattern has been designed with distinctive whorls in the leaves. The center of the peonies are painted with gold dots. The inside of the lid is decorated with cobalt blue in a floral arabesque pattern. This emerald green color is called hana-moegi in Japanese. As well as looking colorful, it also has a freshness to it.
2-5
Water container,peony arabesque pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 17.5 Mouth 15.8 Base 14.5 Body 16.1
An emerald green background. The sheen of both the background and the decoration is subdued, giving a uniform matt appearance. The distinctive curling shape of the leaves adds to the design of the peony arabesque pattern. The peony petals are depicted by painted gold decoration and engraving with a needle on the thick gold leaves. The restrained elegance of the refined appearance is excellent.
Room3
ORISAKU Mineko「光運。KOUN」
3-1
Ornamental bowl,cotton rose design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 11.5 Mouth 49.5 Base 12.7 2001
The background is a yellow to pale yellowish-green gradation from the rim toward the center, over pre-applied yellow radial stripes. Cotton rose flowers expressed with thick gold leaves bloom profusely among the leaves created with thin gold leaf. The uneven thicknesses of the gold leaf expressing the leaves overlaps, the unique expression of the design is due to how the gold leaf is applied by hand and the gradation of the background color can be seen through the gold leaves creating complex shading like “sha-awase”. The design retains a central area of darker yellowish-green, inviting the viewer into the tranquility of its depth. The reverse side is decorated with four branches of large cotton rose flowers against a background of Prussian blue.
3-2
Ornamental dish,rose of Sharon design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 9.0 Mouth 49.5 Base 17.5 1986
The purple background brings out the special shading effect characteristic of gold leaf applied by hand, and makes the overlapping of the thin gold leaf and the leaf veins stand out even more clearly. This piece shows an attempt to express a figurative design. The transparency of the thin gold leaf brings to mind a deep green. The reverse side shows a small floral design in four places.
3-3
Ornamental bowl,Magnolia sieboldii design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 11.5 Mouth 50.3 Base 16.8
Against a purple matt background, flowers are depicted with thick gold leaf while leaves are depicted with thin gold leaf. The different thicknesses lend a feeling of perspective to the scene and the unique irregular-edged gold leaf applied by hand together with gold painting and needle engraving of the gold leaf give a source of rich expression against the purple background. The birds playing among the flowers lend a feeling of movement to the overall design.
3-4
Ornamental bowl,Magnolia sieboldii design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 11.8 Mouth 50.0 Base 13.5 2000
This bowl has been fired with the yellowish-green glaze applied in a radial stripe manner. Then it was glazed again with the same color glaze and fired again to achieve the pattern in the background. The bird’s gaze and the stripe background create a sense of depth in the piece.
Room4
ORISAKU Mineko「零れぬ雫。」
4-1
Ornamental bowl,soft rush design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 13.2 Mouth 45.5 Base 15.8 1974
The first piece accepted by the Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition. A waterscape where dragonflies seem to shimmer in the heat haze, and the straight lines of sedge grasses have round flowers scattered here and there, depicted with extremely thin gold leaf. An early masterpiece of underglaze gold leaf with different thicknesses cut out with a box-cutter knife and a punch. The green background color is like that of grass in the first flush of spring. On the reverse side, the gradation of the green glaze seems to represent the earth and the sky, and sedge grasses are depicted in three places.
Yoshita shares his recollections of being accepted. “The design was linear and still childish. I was lucky to get accepted to the exhibition. The green of the glaze used for the background is too harsh. I got a lot of advice from people saying things like, ‘You need to work on the color more.’”
4-2
Ornamental bowl,liner design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 10.5 Mouth 51.5 Base 9.2 1977
On an octagonal background of yellow and yellowish-green coloring, two types of squares of flat and linear design are placed alternately. This geometric work attempts to harmonize the color of the gold leaves merging with the bright yellow glaze color at the angular points to the central more greenish-yellow glaze color. Referring to a similar piece, Minori commented, “I am feeling how hard it is to use gold leaf in ceramics. I have tried using thick and thin gold leaf again cut into a geometric pattern.” (The 4th Ishikawa Prefectural Exhibition of Selected Craft Artists, 1979)
4-3
Vase,komon pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 47.5 Mouth 9.3 Base 12.5 Body 29.5 1985
Against a yellowish-green background, diamond shapes of different shapes and sizes were cut from thick and thin gold leaf and arranged so that the lines expand and contract to match the curving surface of the vase. Black diamond shapes are painted on top of the gold foil to achieve an argyle pattern effect This results in an overall look of the gold leaf having been applied in a diagonal spiral manner. Minori commented about a similar work titled Flower vase, fine pattern with cut gold leaf, underglaze gold leaf: “I am fascinated by the beauty of the gold leaf shining under the glaze, and every year I create underglaze gold leaf pieces. This time I attempted to make a piece in the fine pattern style using thick and thin gold leaf.” (The 8th Ishikawa Prefectural Exhibition of Selected Craft Artists, 1983)
ORISAKU Mineko「袍袴。」
Room5
5-1
Ornamental bowl,peony arabesque pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 10.5 Mouth 51.5 Base 17.2 1989
The bowl is in the shape of a flower with seven petals. Against a Prussian blue background with radial stripes, is a design of peonies with an arabesque pattern. The centers of the peonies have gold dots.
5-2
Ornamental dish,peony design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 9.3 Mouth 49.3×49.0 Base 25.2 2017
The seventy-two yellow radial stripes light up the round dish. Details of the flowers have been engraved onto the thick gold leaf with a needle and the centers of the flowers have been painted on, while the overlapping of the leaves where the leaf veins have been engraved on the thin gold leaf. These techniques all add a sense of depth to the piece. Glimpses of the background here and there give the gold color depth.
5-3
Ornamental bowl,peony arabesque pattern design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 16.5 Mouth 40.0 Base 17.6 2003
Against yellow radial stripes, there is a graceful transition in the background color from yellow at the rim to yellowish-green at the bottom of the dish. A bold peony and arabesque design covers the dish, with the centers of the flowers painted with gold dots. A peony and arabesque design covers the reverse side of the bowl, with radial stripes.
5-4
Vase,floral arabesque design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 36.5 Mouth 15.2 Base 7.8 2019
The rim is shaped like a flower with the ridges continuing on down to the bottom. The background color is of stripes in dark and light green complimented by an arabesque pattern with beautiful peonies depicted using matt gold leaf. The way the buds and leaves are expressed together with the large peonies is elegance. The center of the peonies is painted on with gold dots.
5-5
Ornamental bowl,peony arabesque pattern and auspicious birds design,underglaze gold leaf
Height 10.0 Mouth 52.0 Base 25.5 2010
Two auspicious birds dance in the center of a design of large auspicious flowers. Peony arabesque pattern decorate the reverse side in three places. 72 radial stripes emphasize the center of the bowl adding depth to the background. The grains of gold on the auspicious birds give an uplifting effect.
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