The history of gold and silver leaf in Kanazawa can be traced back to the latter half of the Sengoku period, when Maeda Toshiie, the lord of the Kaga Domain, which ruled the area mainly in what is now southern Ishikawa Prefecture, sent a letter from his camp during the Korean campaign ordering the production of gold leaf back to his home province.
The Edo shogunate established a gold leaf guild to control the production and sale of gold leaf throughout the country. However, after the Meiji Restoration, with the lifting of the shogunate's control, KANAZAWA Haku (Gold Leafs) underwent significant development both technically and quantitatively.
Through the production of high-quality foil, we maintain our position as the exclusive foil producing region in Japan.

Note: KANAZAWA Haku (Gold Leafs) is designated as a "traditional craft material" by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. Prepare the paper. In this case, the paper used shall be handmade kozo paper, mitsumata paper, or ganpi paper, or paper of equivalent quality.

  2. Perform the "Sumimuchi" and "Uchimae" rituals.

  3. In the case of "gold leaf with a border," the "gold leaf transfer" process must be performed.

   

  raw materials

  The base metal shall be gold, silver, copper, or a metal of equivalent quality.

• Work scene

  Work scene

  The gold leaf manufacturing process is broadly divided into three stages: "gold rolling," "finishing," and "gold beating and transfer." Each of these stages is further divided into more detailed steps. Here's a brief overview of the main process.

  Step 1: Gold matching

  Instead of directly hammering and flattening gold ingots to make foil, a gold alloy is first created. The gold is mixed with silver and copper ingots and placed in a tea bowl, then heated to about 1,300 degrees Celsius. Once completely melted, it is poured into a gold pouring stand and cooled to produce the gold alloy.

  

  Process 2: Metal rolling

  The gold alloy, which is stretched into a strip called a "nobe," is cut into small pieces of approximately 6 cm square using a "daigiri" (a type of cutting tool).

  

  Step 3: Paper preparation

  Approximately 200 sheets of a type of sumiuchi paper called "Kohei," measuring 12.6 cm square, are layered with gold leaf. About 30 sheets of a paper called "Furuya" are then added to the top and bottom, and the layers are covered with "Fukurogawa" and securely fastened with "Chichigawa."

  

  Process 4: Clearing

  The metal is hammered and stretched to fill the entire sheet of paper, and then transferred to a 16.8cm square sheet of clear beating paper called "aragane". Approximately 200 sheets of aragane are stacked, and in the same way, a "furuya" is placed on top and bottom, and they are hammered and stretched to fill the entire sheet of paper. Next, small pieces of aragane cut into quarters, about 6cm square, are placed in an 18.3cm square sheet of clear beating paper and hammered and stretched to fill the entire sheet of paper. The large pieces are shaped with decorative scissors, transferred to the "agari" side of the clear beating paper, and hammered again to remove the shine, resulting in "uchiagari sumi".

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  Step 5: Tailoring

  About 30 sheets of "Uchiagari Sumi" are stacked, a 20.1cm square template is placed on top, and the sheets are folded. A knife is then used to cut along the fold. This is "Shiagari Josumi," also called "Josumi" or "Sumi." The Sumi is folded into thirds, placed in a Sumi box, and delivered to the foil maker.

  

  Step 6: Paper preparation

  Gold leaf is made by hammering out the supernatant, but the quality of the paper used to beat the gold leaf depends on the quality of the gold leaf itself. It is said that even a highly skilled craftsman can only produce poor quality gold leaf if the beating paper is of poor quality.

  

  Step 7: Pulling

  Here, the supernatant, which is 3/1000th of a millimeter thick, is processed into gold leaf that is about 1 to 2/10,000ths of a millimeter thick. The supernatant, which is 21 cm square, is cut into 11 or 12 small pieces called "koma" using cutting chopsticks (sumikiribashi). The koma are lined up in the wide tray for temporary storage and then transferred to the beating paper when it is time to beat the gold. This process is called "suminohikiire" (pulling in the supernatant).

  

  Step 8: Before pouring

  After the initial drawing of the clear paper is complete, the small paper sheets are stacked, then the female paper and white lid are placed on top and bottom, and then a piece of leather is placed on top of the white lid, rolled up and glued. The top and bottom are further covered with leather bags, and the glued leather straps are used to secure them firmly, and the small paper is then punched by machine. Compared to hand punching, the force and speed are more consistent, the quality is more even, and the finish is faster, so nowadays all punching is done by machine.

  

  Process 9: Transferring and removing tasks

  The partially hammered foil is then transferred to the main sheet of paper. This is called "transfer work," and the foil is hammered further on the main sheet until it fills the entire sheet, completing the foil beating process. The finished foil is then transferred from the beating paper to a wide tray. This is called "cutting work" or "cutting." At this stage, the foil is sorted by quality and placed into separate trays according to its quality, where it is temporarily stored until it is cut to size.

  

  Step 10: Foil transfer

  The final step. The gold leaf from the wide book is cut to the specified size (mainly four types: 10.9cm square, 12.7cm square, 15.8cm square, and 21.2cm square). This entire process is called "finishing transfer." Holding the "frame," which is a gold leaf cutter, in the right hand, the gold leaf on the leather board is placed against it and cut by sliding it up and down. The cut gold leaf is then placed on a cutting sheet (intermediate paper) and the gold leaf is transferred to complete the process.

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• Close-up

  Close-up

  The paper preparation, which determines the quality of the gold leaf, is the very essence of "gold leaf."

  Gold leaf was first produced in Kanazawa about half a century ago, in 1593. It is said to have begun when Maeda Toshiie, the first lord of the Kaga Domain at the time, ordered the production of gold and silver leaf in preparation for Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea.

   

  The nation's finest gold leaf was born because of craftsmen who were dedicated to the art of papermaking.

  The history of gold leaf is long, but the process of making it is truly awe-inspiring, as each step is imbued with immense skill and effort. Before we even begin to talk about gold leaf, we must first discuss the papermaking process.
  "Preparing the paper used for gold leaf takes about four months," says Yoshikazu Netsuno, a master gold leaf maker with 40 years of experience. "To make good gold leaf, you first need to make good base paper, which is the paper used to make the gold leaf. Soft water is essential for gold leaf beating, which is why gold leaf production flourished in Kanazawa, a city blessed with abundant water resources. In the past, many gold leaf beating artisans lived near the Asano River and Sai River, but they have now moved to the suburbs due to noise and other issues."
  Seeing the actual gold leaf application process firsthand made me understand. The vibrations were tremendous, and the sound of the hammer striking the surface echoed loudly in my ears. Is it really impossible to create gold leaf without such arduous work...?

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    The unique smooth texture of gold leaf varies depending on the craftsman.

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    Tools used for making noodles by hand in the past (noodles are no longer made by hand).

  Gold leaf can be broadly divided into two types: "cut" and "bound."

  There are two main types of gold leaf: "Entsuke," which is made using an ancient method of preparing handmade Japanese paper and using that paper as the beating paper, and "Dankiri," which is made using a modern method of using special paper coated with carbon as the beating paper. The number of craftsmen who make "Entsuke" has been steadily decreasing recently due to various factors. Mr. Atsuno is an old-fashioned "Entsuke" craftsman. The average age of "Entsuke" craftsmen is 64, and he is one of the precious few, of which there are currently only 48.
  "In the gold leaf craftsman's household, it's normal to get up at 4:30 in the morning and help out late into the night... From childhood, the whole family would work late into the night until a single sheet of gold leaf was made. But I ended up choosing this path, and as soon as I finished junior high school, I took over from my grandfather and father, so in our case, it's been 100 years now."
  The numerous calluses on the back of his hands, honed over many years, speak volumes about his dedication to his work. However, Mr. Atsuno's face lit up as he said, "Now that my son has taken over, I can relax."

  

  The machine performs up-and-down movements 700 times per minute.

  The technique of finishing gold leaf to 1/10,000th of a millimeter

  The gold leaf manufacturing process is broadly divided into three stages: "rolling the gold," "preserving the supernatant," and "beating and transferring the gold leaf." Mr. Atsuno also makes the beating paper during the "beating and transferring" stage. Each of these stages is further divided into more detailed steps, and every single step requires meticulous attention. In making the beating paper, Kanazawa-made Nakajima paper and Futamata paper are repeatedly soaked in lye, beaten, and dried. Persimmon tannin and egg are added at this stage to create smooth paper. This preparation, which gives the gold leaf a wavy appearance and a gentle texture, takes approximately three to four months. "Nowadays, inexpensive 'cut' gold leaf has become common, but this 'edge-bound' gold leaf is mainly used for shrines, temples, high-end Buddhist altars, and the repair of cultural properties."
  "The three principles of foil are 'smoothness,' 'luster,' and 'smoothness.' Smoothness means that no indentations (ring shapes) remain in the foil; luster means a true shine with a textured feel; and smoothness means a unique smoothness. In particular, you could say that the smoothness is determined by the lye used. The thin film created by the lye gives it a smooth appearance and creates the luster."

  

  The process of transferring the material to the main sheet, also known as "transfer work" or "pickup work."

  "Gold leaf application and transfer" is a delicate and meticulous process.

  To be honest, I had no idea that making paper for gold leaf required so much effort. In the next step, the small sheets of paper into which the clarified powder has been applied are hammered out, then transferred to the main paper (the finished gold leaf beating paper), and then hammered out again. This process is a testament to concentration and strength, but you can imagine just how difficult it is, as the 3/1000th of a millimeter of clarified powder is transformed into gold leaf that is only about 1-2/10,000ths of a millimeter thick.
  "Each person has their own unique style when it comes to gold leaf, and each piece turns out differently. I can't entrust my son with the paper preparation just yet." The gold leaf she showed me was so thin that you could see through it, and it certainly had a smooth, elegant texture. I felt like I had witnessed the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

  

  The process of preparing the paper for applying the gold leaf. This is usually the wife's job.

  Craftsman Profile

  ​Yoshikazu Netsuno

  A master gold leaf maker with 40 years of experience in this field.
  A long-established gold leaf craftsman specializing in "enzuke" (a type of decorative gold leaf application), with the family lineage spanning four generations.

  

  Anecdotes

  A shop selling hobby goods made of pure silver and pure silver leaf, quietly nestled in the Higashi Chaya district.

  Pure silver leaf is also one of Kanazawa's traditional crafts. There are many wonderful dishes and ornaments that make use of pure silver leaf, which exudes a different kind of elegance than pure gold leaf.
  These stylish glasses, some containing pure silver leaf, or sake cups adorned with pure silver leaf, would make great gifts for friends. The lovely silver accessories are also reasonably priced and would make nice small souvenirs.
  There are many retro souvenir shops that sell pure gold leaf and pure silver leaf, so be sure to check them out when you visit Kanazawa.

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    Pure silver leaf tableware that you'll want to use to entertain your guests

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    Stylish glass with pure silver leaf inside