Natsuaki Yamamoto

  • Metalwork
  • 1943 -
Natsuaki Yamamoto

Producing mainly flat inlay, relief inlay and metal overlay for metal engraving, metal shaping and casting.
Metalwork was popular and exported to Europe and the US in the late 1800s until the beginning of the 1900s. (The metalwork family business descended from the Goto family who made the oval gold coins for the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. They went out of business around 1882. ) Our family was a family of Shinto priests before the Meiji Restoration (1868 - 1889) and did metal engraving as a side business. Metalworker Kenjo Goto who used the Chinese character "Ken" in his artist name, went to Kanazawa and Takaoka to teach metalwork and established the base of Kanazawa Metal Inlay. His grave is inside the Ichihara Station of Eizan Electric Railway Co. Only a few people in Japan are able to do relief inlay today.

Membership Full member, Japan Kogei Association
Board Member of the Japan Kōgei Association Kinki Branch
  • 1958 Learns metal engraving from his father (Natsuaki himself is the 5th generation)
  • 1962 Graduated from Kyoto Municipal Horikawa High School
  • 1972 Completed the Metal Casting Course held by Kyoto City
  • 1975 Selected for the Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time (selected 30 times from this year onward)
  • 1982 Selected for the Metalworks Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time (selected more than 20 times from this year onward)
  • 1989 Selected for the 36th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition for the first time
  • 1990 Selected for the 37th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  • 1993 Selected for the 40th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
    Dedicated sword fittings and brazier (in charge of metal carving) for the 61st Ise Jingu Reconstruction
  • 1997 Selected for the 44th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
    Becomes Full Member of the Japan Kōgei Association
  • 2001 Selected for the 48th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  • 2006 Solo Exhibition at Gion "Konishi" in Kyoto
  • 2007 Judge at the 37th Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  • 2008 Awarded as Master Craftsman of Kyoto for excellent techniques in the traditional industry
    Selected for and judge for the 38th Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  • 2013 Dedicated sword fittings and brazier (in charge of metal carving) for the 62nd Ise Jingu Reconstruction
  • 2021 Selected for the 50th Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (selected 35 times in total)
    Selected for the 49th Metalworks Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (selected 31 times in total)
    Selected for the 68th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (selected 14 times in total)

  • 1975Awarded 3 times receiving the Excellence Award and Honorable Mention at the Kyoto Traditional Craft Technique Competition (until 1977)
  • 2011Received the Japan Kōgei Association Award at the 37th Metalworks Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
  • 2013Received the Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Award at the 42nd Kinki Traditional Kōgei Exhibition

  • Dedicated a piece of his artwork to Kamigamo Jinja (Imperial Household Agency) in Kyoto

Price Range

$ 3,000 - 17,000

The prices of the artworks on Gallery Japan are determined by the artists themselves and are published directly on the website.

15 artworks posted