Yukie Osumi
About
Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property “Tankin (Metal Hammering)”
Yukie Ōsumi is the first woman in Japan’s metal art field to be designated a Living National Treasure for “Tankin (Metal Hammering).”
She has established a distinctive artistic style that combines both delicacy and strength, skillfully shaping metals such as copper and silver through the process of hammering and forming.
Her signature works feature vessels shaped by the tankin technique and adorned through *chokin*—particularly using the *nunome-zōgan* (textile-inlay) method—where gold, lead, and platinum are inlaid to create intricate decorations.
Ōsumi is dedicated to sharing the beauty and depth of Japanese metal craftsmanship with the world.
She hopes that people overseas will come to appreciate the unique character and exceptional quality of Japanese culture, and in turn, be inspired to learn about and cherish their own cultural heritage.
Biography
- 1945 Born in Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture
- 1969 Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Art Studies. Studied under Kazuya Kashima, Shiro Sekiya, and Moriyuki Katsura
- 1987 Received the Japan Traditional Crafts Association President’s Prize at the 34th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, followed by numerous awards thereafter
- 1988 Dispatched to the United Kingdom for one year as a Japan Cultural Agency overseas training artist
- 2010 Awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon
- 2014 Selected as the first Visiting Artist at the Smithsonian Institution in the United States
- 2015 Certified as Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property “Tankin” (hammering technique)
- 2016 Published “Golden Sentiments – Stories of Metalwork” (Ribun Publishing). Participated in “Creation of Kogei – Living National Treasures Exhibition” (Ginza Wako), continuing to participate annually thereafter
- 2017 Awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon
- 2022 Participated in “Japanese Metalwork Exhibition – Metropolitan Museum 150th Anniversary Memorial Exhibition” and “HOMO FABER, 12 Stone Garden” (Venice, MOA Museum of Art)
- 2023 Solo exhibition (Ginza Wako)
Portfolio
Having created works with themes of natural scenery, in this piece I have expressed the mountains and rivers at dawn. I hope it will be utilized in various aspects of daily life, whether for flower arranging, as interior decoration, or in other living spaces.
