Osumi Yukie

Osumi Yukie (b. 1945) was born in Shizuoka prefecture and was designated Living National Treasure in 2015. Osumi is the first female metalwork artist to receive this honor in history. She specializes in tankin (hammered vessels). After graduating from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, Osumi studied under metalwork artists Kashima Ikkoku, Sekiya Shirō, and Katsura Moriyuki. She also trained as an artist in the United Kingdom for a year under the sponsorship by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs. Osumi applies the traditional technique nunomezōgan (textile imprint inlay) in her works. This involves hammering metal-leaf or wire into a fine, mesh-like grid incised into the metal surfaces. Osumi creates decorative and functional objects, such as vases and tea utensils.