Akae 赤絵

Akae (red painting) is overglaze enamel decoration in which designs are painted in red—often together with other colors and gold—onto already-glazed and fired porcelain or stoneware, then fixed by a second, lower-temperature firing.

After the outline is drawn in indigo blue gosu pigment, overglaze painting in red, yellow, and green is used to color in the design. The red pigment is meticulously applied to create intricate patterns, from thousands of microscopic dots and lines to bold backgrounds for gold decoration. Over time, the vibrant red gently mellows.