articles
(Right) Yoshitsugu Kamikawa, 12th Generation Edo Silversmith
A silversmith who continues the lineage of the Hirata school, the official silversmiths to the Edo shogunate. With "Tokyo Silversmithing"—a craft officially designated as a traditional art by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government—as his foundation, he shares Japanese traditional craft culture, including its metal-hammering techniques, with audiences both in Japan and abroad through workshops and exhibitions, ensuring its legacy is passed to the next generation.
(Left) Soki Kamikawa, 13th Generation Edo Silversmith
The silversmith poised to lead the next generation, wielding the hammer passed down from his predecessor. He has launched "Gindendo LLC," a brand designed to be a lifelong companion that evolves with time, and is exploring new forms of expression that resonate with contemporary lifestyles.
Nisshin Kikinzoku: Upholding a 400-Year Silversmithing Legacy
Tap, tap, tap... Peeking into the workshop, one is greeted by the comforting rhythm of metal being hammered. In the quiet space, Yoshitsugu Kamikawa is engrossed with a piece of silver. He is a master craftsman of silverwork, known as a shirokaneshi (silversmith).
The company was established in 1964, the same year Tokyo hosted the Olympic Games. The name Nisshin Kikinzoku embodies the hope for daily growth amid Japan's period of rapid economic expansion.
The history of these silversmiths is long, with roots tracing back 400 years to the Hirata school, who served as the official artisans to the Edo shogunate. The lineage began in Owari Province with Hirata Donin, a silversmith specializing in shippo (cloisonné), and came to exclusively produce personal adornments like silver kanzashi (hairpins) and decorative elements for armor.
Yoshitsugu: "My grandfather, Ichio (Soshō), was the foremost apprentice to the ninth head of the Hirata school, Hirata Sōdō. At the time, the school had no heir, so Nisshin Kikinzoku shouldered the responsibility of carrying on the lineage of the prestigious Hirata school. We've continued our craft while feeling the profound weight of that tradition. I myself am the 12th generation silversmith in this line."
The skills of the shirokaneshi have been honed throughout history. Yet, this history has been a constant cycle of adapting to the times while preserving the unchangeable core of the craft.
Yoshitsugu: "We have always been searching for the kind of silverwork that each era demands. Take the time of the eighth head, Hirata Sōkō. After the Sword Abolition Edict in the Meiji period, he sought to incorporate the new wave of Western art. He became an Imperial Household Artist and a founding instructor in the metalworking department of what is now Tokyo University of the Arts, where he taught metal-hammering techniques and exhibited his own creations."
The essence of the silversmith's technique is constant. Yet, it adapts to harmonize with the demands of the era. For Yoshitsugu, the words of the poet Matsuo Basho, 'fueki ryuko'—constancy and change—serve as his personal motto.
RELATED ARTICLES
