The Gold of Japan: Gild Your Own Chopsticks with Kanazawa Gold Leaf

kintsugi? Japan’s gold tradition runs deeper. In Kanazawa, artisans have been beating gold for more than four hundred years — until it is one ten-thousandth of a millimetre thick, thin enough to lift on a breath. Almost all of Japan’s gold leaf, kinpaku, still comes from that one city. Artists know gold leaf as a material, but most people have never touched it. This class puts it in your hands. You’ll first learn where Kanazawa gold leaf comes from and how it is made, then handle the leaf yourself and pick up the artisans’ techniques for cutting it, crumpling it and laying it down. Finally you’ll design your own pair of chopsticks — a clean band of gold, cut shapes, scattered flakes, a spiral, or something nobody has tried yet. Your instructor seals each pair with a protective topcoat, and you take home the chopsticks you designed in their own box — real Japanese gold, in a design no one else has. Keep them for your own table, or give them as a gift. Gold leaf cannot be lifted once it is down, so every pair is a one-take piece and no two ever come out the same. No experience is necessary Take home the pair of chopsticks you designed, boxed The instructor is Hideko Koyama, who grew up in Nanao, Ishikawa — the same prefecture as Kanazawa. Space is limited, so early registration is recommended. Photos and video will be taken during this session for RESOBOX. You’ll be asked to sign a short photo release on the day; if you’d rather not appear, just tell us and we’ll keep you out of frame. Learn more about The Gold of Japan gold leaf class at RESOBOX View class page