The Gold of Japan: Gold Leaf Chopstick Making Class

Love the golden glow of kintsugi? Japan's gold tradition runs deeper. In Kanazawa, artisans have been beating gold for more than four hundred years, until it is one ten-thousandth of a millimeter thick: thin enough to lift on a breath. Almost all of Japan's gold leaf, kinpaku, still comes from that one city. Artists know gold leaf as a material, but most people have never touched it. This class puts it in your hands.In this hands-on class, you will first learn where Kanazawa gold leaf comes from and how it is made. Then you will handle the leaf yourself and pick up the artisans' four techniques:

• A flat band rolled around the stick
• Cut shapes pressed on one by one
• Fine flakes crumpled between your palms and scattered
• A narrow strip wound into a spiral

Combine them, layer them, or invent your own.Your instructor seals each pair with a protective topcoat, and you take home the chopsticks you designed in their own box: real Japanese gold, in a design no one else has. Keep them for your own table, or give them as a gift. Gold leaf cannot be lifted once it is down, so every pair is a one-take piece and no two ever come out the same.Your teacher is Hideko Koyama, who grew up in Nanao, Ishikawa (the same prefecture as Kanazawa) among household Buddhist altars finished in gold leaf and metalwork. She fell for Kanazawa gold leaf after taking a class at Hakuichi in Kanazawa and now leads workshops to share it with people outside Japan.Is this kintsugi? No. Kintsugi mends broken ceramics with lacquer and gold. This class is about the gold itself: Kanazawa gold leaf, applied to chopsticks.No experience is needed, and all materials are included. The October 26 class runs from 7pm to 9pm at RESOBOX in the East Village. Photos and video will be taken during this session. You'll be asked to sign a short photo release on the day; if you'd rather not appear, just tell us and we'll keep you out of frame. A pair of lacquered chopsticks that you gild yourself, sealed with a protective topcoat by your instructor, and boxed to take home: ready to keep, or to give as a gift. All materials, gold leaf, and tools are provided. Read more details