Japan’s Focus On Extraordinary Artisan Mentorship Expands To Preserve Gold Leaf Manufacturing

Japan – January 4, 2024 —

The World Monuments Foundation continues their journey to foster preservation of Kanazawa’s celebrated gold leaf art scene through mentorship programs and partnerships designed to preserve this iconic craft. A unique “Kanazawa Entsuke Gold Leaf Manufacturing” training program continues to support craftsman with a view to passing this intricate technique on to the next generation of artisans. The average age of celebrated craftsman is 70, hence the overarching goal to focus on preservation of these techniques for future generations.

Kanazawa, whose translation means “gold marsh” has long been hailed as the pinnacle of gold leaf production dating back centuries of years and today, artisans continue to create exquisite blends that are highly labor intensive, using only the finest material and locally sourced materials. Registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, entsuke is a traditional technique of gold leaf production and was developed approx. four centuries ago in Kanazawa. By applying the entsuke technique, gold leaf is transformed to wafer-thin sheets that are down to 1/10,000th of a millimeter. The painstakingly arduous process of maintaining them intact is an art unto itself, and the sheets are then either bound together for books or used as exquisite décor for lacquerware, statues and architecture.  It is a technique that has existed in Japan for over 400 years and today, it is an art form passed on by only a small handful of skilled artisans. 

In 2020, entsuke gold leaf was added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

With Kanazawa holding the lion’s share of all gold leaf produced in Japan, visitors delight in being able to indulge in hands-on experiences of this exquisite craft as it takes shape in multiple forms. While gold leaf lines the walls of some of Japan’s most famous temples including Kyoto’s Kinkakuji Temple (The Golden Pavilion) it has now become a staple in cooking and the production of various sweets including soft serve ice cream cone wrapped in a sheet of gold leaf being sold at specialty outlets throughout the city. Gold leaf is also commonly applied to personalize cases, hand mirrors, and even chopsticks. 

More information on various tourism experiences can be found here- https://visitkanazawa.jp/en/trip-ideas/detail_286.html

For more information on Kanazawa’s tourism opportunities, please visit www.visitkanazawa.jp.en   
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Contact Info:
Name: Gabriella Ribeiro
Email: Send Email
Organization: Ishikawa Prefecture
Website: https://www.ishikawatravel.jp/en/

Release ID: 89117107

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