Yukie Osumi

Living National Treasure
Global, Tokyo
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About

Living National Treasure
Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property
Japan Traditional Crafts Association Councillor: Born 1945

She specializes in a distinctive artistic style that involves forging metal vessels through tankin (hammering technique) and decorating them with chokin (metal engraving), particularly using nunome-zogan inlay techniques to embed gold, lead, and platinum. She aspires to widely introduce the appeal of Japanese metalwork to international audiences.
She hopes that people will gain a deeper understanding of the uniqueness and high quality of Japanese culture that is admired with envy by people overseas, and that they will learn to appreciate and love 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

1
2024
Silver Flower Vessel “Spring Dawn” / Yukie Osumi
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.

Silver Flower Vessel “Spring Dawn”