Yukie Osumi (born 1945;Japanese:大角幸枝,romanized: Ōsumi Yukie)[1] is a Japanesemetalsmith. In 2015, she became the first woman in her field to be named aLiving National Treasure of Japan.
Yukie Osumi was born inKakegawa,Shizuoka Prefecture, in 1945.[2][3][4] She studied art history atTokyo University of the Arts, graduating in 1969.[3][4]
When Osumi began metalworking, very few Japanese women were involved in the field.[3] However, she gained the support of mentors such as the well-known metalsmiths Shiro Sekiya and Moriyuki Katsura, the latter of whom granted her her first apprenticeship.[3] After many years of pursuing her craft while working various side jobs to make ends meet, she was finally able to establish herself as a full-time artist and art professor at age 41.[3]
Osumi is known for her hand-shaped metal vessels, which she hammers into shape from a flat plate before applying intricate decorations.[2][3][4] She is a master of thenunome zōgan metal inlay technique.[2][3] Each of her pieces takes between three and six months to complete.[3] Her designs are often drawn from natural motifs, influenced in part by her childhood in the countryside of Shizuoka.[3][4][5]
Her pieces have been exhibited both in Japan and abroad, including in the United States and Italy.[1]
In addition to her work as a craftsperson, Osumi has taught atTokyo Kasei University, where she is now a professor emeritus.[3]
For her work, Osumi won theJapan Kōgei Association's President's Award in 1987.[3][4] In 2014, she was awarded a residency in Japanese metalwork design at the Smithsonian'sFreer-Sackler Gallery, the first artist to do so.[2][6]
In 2015, she was named aLiving National Treasure of Japan, as part of a program that supports and honors craftspeople who work using traditional techniques.[2][3][5][7][8] She was the first female metalsmith to receive this designation.[2][3][5][8] Two years later, she was awarded theOrder of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.[3]