Dragon Maki-e Lucky Cat

The Dragon Maki-e Lucky Cat embodies an element of artistic surprise that lies at the heart of Hariya Kinuyo’s lacquer expression. As a master artist of maki-e—the traditional lacquer technique of painting with urushi lacquer and sprinkling gold or other metal powders onto the still-wet surface—Hariya has refined a painterly approach that allows fine strokes and layered materials to shape the way each piece is experienced.

The face of this porcelain lucky cat, painted with soft strokes and emerald-green eyes, a rare hue within the limits of lacquer, greets the viewer with a gentle charm. However, when the piece is turned, an entirely different presence emerges: a rising dragon rendered in luminous gold powder and bengara lacquer.

The surface is built through patient layering of urushi, each stroke contributing to a depth that feels almost atmospheric. Hariya’s distinctive saibyo maki-e linework gives motion to the dragon’s scales, while the mineral texture catches light in subtle shifts. These fine details form the "hidden elements" she values—moments of discovery revealed only as one spends time with the work. The final togi polishing lifts each scale, line, and detail into relief, allowing the gold to rise vividly from within the lacquer.

With her deep affinity for cats, she approaches the feline form with warmth, yet the powerful dragon across its back introduces a striking contrast. The composition, wrapped across the rounded porcelain body, delivers an unexpected twist, expanding the possibilities of maki-e on a new surface and presenting a contemporary, boldly conceived expression of the craft.

Hariya Kinuyo

Hariya Kinuyo is a maki-e artist from Yamanaka Onsen in Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and a certified Master of Traditional Crafts in the decorative arts of Yamanaka lacquerware. Shaped by a childhood spent in a nature-rich environment, her work often depicts living creatures, among them cats and owls. With a firm grounding in traditional technique and a continued search for new expression, she works alongside her family to bring maki-e closer to everyday life.

Yamanaka Lacquerware

Yamanaka lacquerware, also known as Yamanaka Shikki, is a kind of lacquerware produced in the Yamanaka Onsen district of Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture. This lacquerware is unique in that it blends wood grain's natural elegance with the elegant maki-e technique of sprinkling gold, silver, or other colored powder onto a lacquer painting.

With its beautiful wood texture, delicate and robust Yamanaka lacquerware incorporates a modern sense of design while inheriting a tradition that has lasted for 400 years.