Kazuo Nakada

• 1949
  Born in Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture
• 1991
  Evaluator at the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (6 times from this year onward)
• 1993
  "Yuri Ginsai Vase" selected to be permanently preserved in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C.
• 1996
  "Yuri Ginsai Vase" selected to be permanently preserved in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C.
• 1999
  Solo exhibition at Nihombashi Mitsukoshi Main Store (held 3 times from this year onward)
• 2000
  Appeared on NHK’s Yakimono Tanbo – Silver Flowers in a World of Blue
• 2002
  Designated as a member of the Association for the Preservation of Kutani, an Ishikawa Prefectural Intangible Cultural Property
• 2003
  Selected for the Japan Traditional Art Crafts 50th Anniversary Exhibition “Crafting Beauty in Modern Japan”
• 2008
  Director, Japan KōgeiAssociation
• 2013
  Selected for the "From Crafts to Kōgei In Commemoration of the 60th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition"
• 2020
  Selected for Kogei 2020 - The Art of Crafting Beauty from Nature, Tokyo National Museum

The Yuri Ginsai technique used in my porcelain pieces involves cutting silver leaf into patterns and pasting them on to unglazed porcelain, which is then repeatedly fired before the application of a glaze and a final firing.
Viewing the silver-leaf patterns through the overglaze reveals a variety of unique and beautiful colors.

Establishing his original technique by challenging to use silver leaf

Ceramic artist Kazuo Nakada has marked a new phase in the world of traditional Kutani ware by using silver leaf that everyone had been avoiding. As he wanted to express the beauty of silver in his work, he tried using silver leaf instead of gold leaf, and as a result, established his original technique "Yuri ginsai". He continues to create new artwork and is active in the front lines as of today. He cuts the silver leaf into beautiful shapes of plants and other various shapes, and embeds them in the vessel with overglaze. Its beauty is everlasting.

• 1982
  Received the Japan Kōgei Association Incentive Award at the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 1990
  Received the Minister of Education Award at the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition
• 2001
  Received the Grand Prize at the Traditional Kutani Ware Crafts Exhibition. His work was purchased by the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art.
• 2010
  Received the Japan Kōgei Association Important Intangible Cultural Asset Holder Award at the Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition.
  Received the Hokkoku Cultural Award
• 2011
  Received the Medal with Purple Ribbon and the Ishikawa Television Broadcasting Award
• 2012
  Received the Komatsu Cultural Award
• 2015
  Received the Excellence Award at the Pola Award for Traditional Japanese Culture
• 2019
  Received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette