Biko Hayashi

• Metalwork
• 1937 -

In the world of metalcraft, I have earned high recognition as an artist specializing in the tankin (hammering) technique for hard materials such as stainless steel; however, in recent years, I have been working on my own “Gold, Silver, and Copper Metal with Woodgrain Patterns” containing real gold. Today I am passionate about reproducing this once lost technique of the Edo period.

　My Gold, Silver, and Copper Metal with Woodgrain Patterns is a special metal material; the main body is gold, onto which dozens of silver, copper, alloys of copper and gold, and other material plates are placed one after the other to create a laminated layer; it is heated in a high-temperature flame; then, by repeated hammering, burrowing, and thinning by hammering, a plate shape is made, and finally the simple and elegant woodgrain patterns stand out. This fine metal material is unparalleled in the world. In the Edo period, this material was used for the decorative fittings of swords and accouterments; in contemporary works, it is used to create such items as tea utensils, flower vases, and decorative boxes with designs suitable for today.