The Yoshita family oversees the Nishikiyama Kiln, renowned for its aka-e kinrande style—an ornate porcelain tradition of Kutani ware from Ishikawa characterized by intricate brocade-like designs in red enamel and gold. In 1951, Yoshita Minori, who had been engaged in ceramics since his high school years, succeeded to the family business as its third-generation head. Since then, he has explored and refined numerous traditional techniques associated with the Nishikiyama Kiln, developing innovative approaches while preserving its artistic heritage.
Yoshita is especially celebrated for his mastery of yūri-kinsai, a decorative underglaze gold technique developed in Kanazawa during the 1960s. Unlike the conventional method of painting gold pigments onto porcelain with a brush, yūri-kinsai employs cut pieces of gold leaf applied beneath a transparent glaze. His work represents a sophisticated union of the refined Kutani porcelain tradition and kinpaku (gold leaf), one of the most prized artisanal products of the former Kaga domain in Ishikawa Prefecture. Through this innovation, Yoshita opened a new frontier in Japanese gold-decorated porcelain and came to be regarded as the foremost master of the technique. In recognition of his achievements, Yoshita Minori received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2001 and was later designated a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government.
The yūri-kinsai technique itself is highly intricate. Two different kinds of gold leaf—one thick and one thin—are used to create subtle tonal variation. Before glazing and firing, the gold leaf is carefully cut or carved into decorative motifs and applied to a lacquered surface. The vessel is then coated with a transparent glaze and fired at a carefully controlled low temperature. During firing, the gold leaf fuses permanently to the surface while the excess lacquer burns away.
In the final stages, additional coats of soda glaze may be applied in separate firings. In some cases, as many as six firings are required to achieve the desired result. The varying thicknesses of the gold leaf create delicate contrasts within the patterns, while the translucent glaze imparts remarkable depth, radiance, and luminosity to the finished work.
Selected Exhibitions
2025 Asia Week New York, US
2013–2018 Asia Week New York, US
2017 The 64th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition, Japan
2014 Japan from Prehistory to the Present, British Museum, London, UK | Contemporary Japanese Ceramics Embassy of Japan, Washington D.C., US
2012 Japan: Land of Enchantments, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy
2007 Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan, British Museum, London, UK
Selected Awards
2023 Komatsu City Honorary Citizen Award
2006 The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
2001 The Medal of the Purple Ribbon, bestowed by the Emperor of Japan | Designated by Japan as Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property for Underglaze Gilded Gold Decorations, becoming a Living National Treasure
2000 The Japan Kōgei Association Member Award
1992 The Prince Takamatsu Memorial Prize
1984 The Japan Kōgei Association Encouragement Award
Selected Public Collections
- Embassy of Japan | Washington D.C., US
- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution | Washington D.C., US
- British Museum | London, UK
- Auckland Museum | New Zealand
- National Museum of Modern Art | Tokyo, Japan